


wrong place, wrong time

by orphan_account



Category: Naruto, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, BAMF Haruno Sakura, Bakugou Katsuki is Bad at Feelings, Class 1-A Shenanigans (My Hero Academia), Crossover, Gen, Midoriya Izuku gets a lil' sassy, Midoriya Izuku is a Ray of Sunshine, Reincarnation, Strong Haruno Sakura, the crossover no one asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 62,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23696176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Sakura first realizes what's happening, she figures out that she’s been reincarnated several years into the future and that she can remember her past life.The most annoying part about the whole thing becomes the fact that her pink hair and big forehead follow her into this life, too.But then when she turns four and doctors start referring to her basic manipulations of chakra as her having multiple Quirks she’s left wondering what the hell is going on.
Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki/Consequences - Relationship, Class 1-A (My Hero Academia) & Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura & Midoriya Izuku, Haruno Sakura & Shuuzenji Chiyo, Haruno Sakura/?, Haruno Sakura/being a badass, Midoriya/non-abusive childhood friends
Comments: 674
Kudos: 2063
Collections: Reincarnation and Transmigration





	1. mors tua, vita mea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your death, my life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a couple of things to note with this chapter: there are a few references to depression (and a brief mention of other mental health conditions), as well as mentions of bullying.

Her first coherent thought is: _what the fuck_. Because really, what the fuck. Now, she's never been one to swear, that's always been her best friend (wait, who is her best friend again? Everything feels fuzzy.) She's always been someone to believe that a real lady shows how she feels through her fist.

Anyway, she’s tiny. She tries to remember how on earth she’s gotten this small. Genjutsu, maybe? (Wait, what does that even mean again?) Is she captured? Is she even alive? Why is everything so blurry? Why is her brain having such a problem processing—

She feels something (she wants to call it Inner but does not know why) pulling her away from this confusing, blurry world.

“Rest easy, little one,” the thing—Inner—says. She wants to fight it, but she feels exhaustion pulling at her so she settles into the warm, comforting white space she finds herself in. “This is your mindscape. I’ll take over for now.” 

Inner teaches her about the blurry world. She learns her that her name is Watanabe Sakura and she has green eyes, pink hair, and a large forehead. The latter annoys Sakura for some reason.

Inner tells her mother is a woman with red hair and serious brown eyes whose name is Akane. She tells her she has no father.

Sakura finds out that she will still have the skills (“They’re ninja arts and what this world considers dated fighting styles,” Inner says) she half-remembers as long as she trains all over again. 

The first time Sakura leaves her mindscape is when the strange world (“Your world,” Inner corrects) is no longer a mess of blurring colours or a cacophony of loud, scary noises. At this point, she's just barely able to formulate a word.

Sakura does not like the way words are spoken here. She barely remembers there being much difficulty understanding other people. In fact, the most challenging thing for her should have maybe been someone's heavy accent (“You’ve always struggled with Earth Country accents,” Inner tells her. “Especially with people from the countryside.”) The fact that she sometimes cannot understand words being spoken out of the devices in her home strikes her as strange. 

It’s no surprise that her first spoken word is: “What?” 

Her mother is ecstatic. Starts crying hysterically (“She’s laughing, too,” Inner notes) while jumping up and down. Suddenly, as if remembering something, her mother starts to point at herself and start yelling, “Mama! Mama!” 

“What?!” 

* * *

Akane has a relatively easy pregnancy. She throws herself into learning about motherhood in a fashion similar to how she studied for the bar.

She first seeks advice from her friends and family who already have kids. She then researches both the horrible aspects of childbirth that her friends fail to tell her (like the horrendous combination of a vagina that does not stretch easily and a child whose head is a little too big) and the beautiful parts (like the fact that the maternal bond between child and mother is something indescribable.) 

She ensures her diet is good for her baby. She buys the right clothes (although Aoi, her best friend, just makes a face at makes at her and tells her of course _she_ would be the one person to capable of finding the most un-cute and boring clothes for a literal baby. And then Aoi leaves bags and bags of fashionable clothing she's shocked to learn people make for newborns.)

She listens to the right music. She attends all her appointments. She visits Hashi as much as she can. 

“She’s getting bigger,” she tells him. “I almost can’t fit into anything. I hope she has your eyes, Hashi.” Then, in a quiet voice she adds, “I wish you were here. I wish….I didn’t have to do this alone.” 

Akane is a stone cold realist. She believes all things can be explained when one puts enough effort into finding the right answers. But sometimes she thinks her family has a curse, one where they die far too young as result of being at the wrong place, at the wrong time. 

She understands this is an irrational response to loss, but she can’t help it sometimes. In rare moments, she gets incredibly superstitious. She even takes Hashi’s last name, Watanabe, for this reason. If she no longer has her family name, perhaps the curse will skip her. She does a lot of foolish, superstitious things like this in hopes of escaping the hell that is losing a parent and raising a child alone.

Her grandfather went through this after losing her grandmother back when Japan’s crime rate was exceedingly high and there was less government control on people’s Quirks (they tell her grandfather that the poor woman happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time.)

Her own mother goes through this when they lose her father to a terrible accident (they tell her mother that the little girl he saved was lucky he happened to be there at the right time. They are terribly sorry for her loss. They want her to know that even if he was a civilian, he will always be a hero to them.) 

Akane goes through this herself when her husband, after leaving work, finds himself in the line of attack of a hero attempting to subdue a villain (they tell her that this was a terrible, terrible accident and that the hero has a proven record of saving countless civilians. They are terribly, terribly sorry for her loss. They are not sorry enough to adequately compensate her for his death. She has to fight them in court to get anything.) 

When her daughter arrives on a chilly spring morning, Akane experiences the worst possible pain of her life first (Aoi tells her of course her baby would inherit her big ass head and not Hashi's lovely small face) and then when her baby girl is finally in her arms, it’s just like all the books, articles, and blogs say: there are no words to describe how quickly, and how much she comes to love this small human.

When the nurse asks for a name for her daughter, Akane is ready. She’s already compiled a list of possible girl names for her daughter and has cross listed it what the most popular baby girl names have been so far this year (their last name is common enough, after all.) But as soon as she looks down at the bundle in her arms she freezes and something compels her to say, “Sakura.” 

Aoi, her mother, and Hashi’s parents approve. When pink tufts of hair start growing out of little Sakura’s head they all think that maybe Akane’s real Quirk might be seeing the future.

Akane asks Hashi’s side of the family if anyone in their family tree had pink hair, or even white hair (because, well, her family is known to have many red-heads, herself included.) They tell her no. At least little Sakura has her father’s green eyes. She wonders if she’ll get his Quirk, too. 

When Sakura is a month old Akane starts to fret. Her baby's behaviour is nothing described by the books she’s read, or what she’s heard from family and friends with children of their own. She researches and researches until she finds a definitive answer. 

“I think my daughter has depression,” is the first thing she says when Aoi finally picks up her damn phone. 

“Your daughter is one month old, Akane,” Aoi says. “She doesn’t have the brain function to develop a mood disorder like that. Are _you_ , OK, though?” 

She still takes Sakura to one doctor after the next. They assure her that little Sakura is fine. They give Akane many, many referrals, though. They ask Akane if she has always been this anxious. They suggest that she may have postnatal depression. They tell her it is very common, especially for a woman like her who is also experiencing a recent loss.

But Akane can see from the way her daughter behaves and from the look in her eyes that there is something not quite right going on, but eventually she relents. She is a woman who, after all, believes in logic, in science, and in reason (for the most part.) She ignores the feeling in the pit of her stomach and cares for Sakura as best she can.

Soon after, little Sakura begins behaving just as Akane’s read and heard that an infant should. She doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

She does both when Sakura’s first words are: “What?” 

* * *

Aoi thinks the universe is a funny place. Of course her stiff-as-a-board, born-with-a-two-sticks-up-her-ass best friend would give birth to the only child in Japan utterly uninterested in technology.

Now, look, a disinterest in heroes Aoi can get—hell, she can even get behind hating them like her best friend. After all, Sakura’s father was killed by one. Plus, being raised by _the_ lawyer to contact if a hero is responsible for the wrongful death of a civilian? Aoi would be surprised if little Sakura didn’t jump out Akane’s womb not already hating heroes. But _c’mon_! A disinterest in the internet? Cartoons? TV? How is that even possible? 

Aoi starts to call the kid Luddite as a joke for this reason. Honestly, the kid is secretly an old woman with the way she mainly likes things far beyond her years like books on medicine. Not even the books on medicine meant for kids, either. For her birthday, Sakura weeps over a book on human anatomy Aoi gifts her (it was the same kind third year medical students at Japan's top medical school uses, and yes, it cost her a damn fortune) the same way her friend’s kid cried when he got his first All-Might action figure. 

“Akane,” Aoi whispers her best friend the moment they put Sakura to sleep. “I think your kid is a serial killer.” 

“She’s five, Aoi,” is all Akane says. 

Aoi only ever sees Sakura act like a kid when she asks for books about ninja and/or the power of friendship. She actually asks Aoi if becoming a ninja was a possible career option. When Aoi asks her why, Sakura actually tells her it’s because she thinks it’s her destiny to become one. 

“She’s been here before,” Aoi would later say to Akane after retelling the incident. “I bet she’s from the Edo period originally.” 

But when with all the eccentricities, Aoi loves Sakura all the same. Hell, at this point the kid and might as well have been her daughter, too. Akane, ever the workaholic and career woman trying to do right by her only daughter, went back to picking up her regular caseload of clients when Sakura turned two. Since then, Aoi and Akane’s mother take turns looking after Sakura while Akane is out destroying hero agencies one liability claim at a time. It’s kind of funny that while Akane is out destroying Pro Hero careers, here is Aoi designing hero costumes for a living (and in a bizarre way, Akane’s infamy in hero circles helps Aoi’s business. There’s apparently a rumour that if heroes get their suits designed by her company, they receive protection from Akane’s wrath.) 

“What’s shaking, lil’ luddite?” Aoi says, ignoring Sakura's eye roll. 

“Big Sis,” Sakura says, because Aoi is still thirty thank you very much. She is no one’s auntie. OK, so maybe she’s been thirty for, like, nine years now, but so what? She’s still a spring chicken. She’s got a rotation of guys she’s working through. She’s young, she’s— 

“Big Sis,” Sakura says again, pulling Aoi out of her thoughts. 

“Huh? What’s up, kid?” 

Sakura holds up a book that reads _Vigilantism's Conflicts with the Official Hero System._ Of course this small child is reading a book that gave Aoi headaches when she was in undergrad (why a fashion major like her had to take Hero Sociology she does not know, but man did she want to throttle her university administration for it at the time.) Damn her best friend and her big ass head.

“How, um, come none of these books talk ‘bout ch-chakra?” 

Aoi blinks.“Cha— _wha_?” 

It is always these kinds of questions that left her wondering. It's just like when Sakura first turned two and was all of a sudden meditating daily. Aoi first thought it was something she picked up from Akane’s mother, who is a practicing Buddhist, but then Sakura started practicing things from Shintoism, too. 

“You mean that new age stuff?" Aoi asks. "Or the actual religious stuff?” 

Sakura shakes her head. “No…” she trails off as her cute face scrunches up helplessly. Aoi loves and hates that face. That face means Sakura is thinking hard about how to word a very complicated question that Aoi does not have the brain capacity to answer (she has a very lovely, very small head thank you very much. What it lacks in super smarts it makes up with sarcasm and charm). "It’s like….it’s, um, it’s like a power.” 

“So, like....Quirks?” 

Sakura gives her a constipated look before crying out in frustration, “I don’t—I don’t got the words to, um, say it right now, Big Sis!” 

“Oh thank God!”

_“Big Sis!”_

* * *

Most of what Sakura can remember about the place that Inner calls the Before is fuzzy. Inner calls it the Before thanks to Aoi, who always jokingly tells Sakura she’s an old soul likely from the Edo period.

Sakura is her mother’s daughter so she takes the task of understanding the Before by doing her research. She reads about Shinto and Buddhism. She reads about Japan's history. She reads about ninja (and yes, she's a little embarrassed to admit that she also reads the fictional books about ninja, too.) She reads about Quirks. She reads about the Golden, Silver and Bronze age of heroes. She reads about psychosis and schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder. She reads and reads and comes to think she maybe what's happening is that she half-remembers her previous life, one where she was alive a long, long, long time ago. That, or the moment she’s able to translate the many thoughts and ideas in her head into coherent words, she’ll ask her mother to take her to a psychologist. 

As she does her research, she even starts to remember more and more bits and pieces about the Before. The first thing she remembers are people. She remembers a blonde and blue eyed boy and girl, both of them so full of life and light. She remembers a sad, sad boy with dark hair and red eyes. She remembers an older blonde woman (her mentor, maybe?) who teaches her how to fight and how to heal.

Then come the feelings. These people she half-remembers have made her understand what real friendship feels like, what heartbreak feels like, and what loss feels like. She wishes she remembers more about them, but Inner tells her that forgetting is a blessing she should be grateful for. 

Other times, she remembers things that she cannot find explained anywhere, like chakra. It’s less a memory now that she’s trained herself to feel it, but even so cannot find an explanation of it like she remembers in the Before.

She remembers how to use chakra. She remembers she used to have very fine control of it in the Before. She remembers that if she wants to grow her small reserve of chakra she needs to meditate daily.

Sakura remembers the exercises used to refine her control of chakra. She remembers how to pool into her hands and into her feet to climb the walls and ceiling of her bedroom. She knows how to pool into her fists to throw vicious punches. She’s two when she starts to train her chakra like how she remembers. 

It’s only when Sakura turns four that her reserves grow into a decent size. She starts to feel like herself again. Her control is nowhere near perfect as it was in the Before, but it’s enough that she can stitch back together the skin of a small fish. She’s been practicing on the fish her grandmother leaves out to defrost in the kitchen.

It’s her seventh go at stitching back together the fish her grandmother is going to cook for dinner that someone walks in and sees her. 

“Holy shit!” Aoi screams so loudly that Sakura nearly bumps the fish off of the counter. “Oh my god, Granny! Granny, look! Sakura’s got a Quirk!!” 

When her grandmother comes in, Aoi cuts the fish again and tells Sakura to repeat exactly what she was doing before. She obliges, but when her grandmother starts crying Sakura worries for a second that what she’s doing is seen as wrong in this world, but then her grandmother tells her through tears that she has a wonderful Quirk.

Sakura frowns at that word. _Quirk?_

They call her mother and she takes the rest of the day off work when she hears the news. Her mother takes them out for ice cream before they go register Sakura’s Quirk.

“Why the long face, my little luddite?” Aoi asks as they make their way to the Quirk registry building. 

“Why is everyone calling it, um, a Quirk,” she says, still frowning. “It’s—it’s, um, not.” 

“What is it then, little scholar?” her mother asks. Sakura preens a little at the nickname.

“It’s—it’s c-chakra!” Sakura hates herself a little every time she struggles to pronounce a word. The day she’s able to speak coherently can't come soon enough. She may burst into tears when it finally happens. “I’m using c-chakra! I can, um, I can also do this!”

Sakura starts walking right up the Quirk registry building. Aoi, her mother, her grandmother, and the random passerby watching her all start screaming. 

* * *

Shuzenji Chiyo, better known as Recovery Girl, has seen a lot of shit in her years, but this shit? _Unbelievable_. It would have been outright miraculous, too, if what Dr. Tsubasa was telling her and what she was seeing actually made a lick of sense. 

“Run that back to me again,” she says, leafing through the folder on Watanabe Sakura. “Her parents have what Quirks now?” 

“Watanabe Akane,” Dr. Tsubasa explains, “has a pretty harmless photokinesis Quirk. She can bend, shift, scatter or focus light. Her late husband had a terrakinesis Quirk. He manipulated plants.” 

Yet their daughter, Watanabe Sakura, appears to have inherited neither of her parent's Quirks, nor a combination of both Quirks. Instead she has three radically different Quirks according to Dr. Tsubasa. All three were unexpected given the girl's parentage. Sakura could emit a force that enables her to walk on any surface, and she could also enhance her strength. Chiyo has a hunch that these two Quirks may actually just be one gravity-defying Quirk that has multiple applications, but she’ll need to consult with her colleagues with far more expertise on that type of Quirk. Now, it’s the girl’s third Quirk, a healing one, that’s unbelievable. It’s exactly like Chiyo’s own Quirk: the ability to accelerate the body's natural healing abilities. Except where Chiyo’s Quirk utilizes other people's own life energy, Sakura’s Quirk uses her own life energy, something that she’s capable of replenishing. And unlike Chiyo, Sakura just needs to hover her hands over the injury to heal it. 

“She kept calling it chakra, though,” Dr. Tsubasa says. “Refused to acknowledge any of them as Quirks. What a strange child.” His eyes have a twinkle in them when he adds, “I can’t wait to start researching on her, though. This might be the start of a new age in Quirk development.” 

Chiyo thinks about another individual who has an incredibly powerful Quirk, one so powerful that he had to live in America until he was strong enough to face off against the evil forces in this country that want to see him dead. She thinks about him as she looks down at Watanabe Sakura’s photo, a small four year old girl with green eyes and pink hair.

Chiyo sets the folder down places a firm hand on Dr. Tsubasa’s shoulder.

“Absolutely not.” 

* * *

Akane does not hate heroes. Even if most heroes might think she’s out to bankrupt them all (she wouldn’t have to, of course, if they knew how to fight villains less recklessly. Maybe then less civilians would die or lose their homes and businesses if they did.) She does not hate them. Even if heroes are the reason why her daughter is growing up without a father. Really, she does not hate them. Even if she had to go to court with the hero agency responsible for her husband's death in order to get any kind of compensation for his death (because wasn’t it enough to have the hero in question, a man who was very important and very powerful, perform dogeza? Wasn't that far more meaningful than money?) She doesn’t hate them. 

But when her daughter, her sweet, little Sakura tells her that she wants to become a hero, Akane thinks maybe Aoi was right. Maybe she does hate heroes. 

Akane wishes she knew what to do. Her parenting books do not tell her how to prepare for when your daughter develops three Quirks. Her friends and family members with children do not warn her that her daughter's anomaly means that at the prime age of four she will have a target on her back if news about her Quirks goes public. There is no book, no article, no friend, no family member that can offer Akane some semblance of an answer.

There is, however, the feeling in the pit of her stomach that tells her to smile and say to her daughter that no matter what she decides to become, she will always be there to support her. 

* * *

Sakura stares at the creature in front of her and wonders what he is. He has a large scar on his right eye. He’s wearing a very nice suit. She wonders if there’s a book that can explain why he looks like that. “Are—are you, um, a dog, a bear, or a mouse?” 

“Yes,” he says with a polite smile. 

“Huh? Yes you—” Sakura stops suddenly, noticing the stern looks that the old woman next to him (she has a syringe in her bun Sakura realizes) her mother give her. Aoi, meanwhile, looks like she's holding in a laugh. “That’s really rude, right? Um, sorry! You got a really nice suit!” 

“Thank you,” he says. “Now, Miss Sakura, it appears that you have a very unique situation. You have three Quirks, yes?”

Sakura scrunches her face. “Yes.” 

There’s a glint in the creature’s eyes. “Do you not agree?” 

“It’s—it’s chakra,” she says, and puffs up a little when she realizes she didn’t struggle with the word this time. “I don’t, um, got the vo-vo-voca—the um, words, to explain it. Not yet, um, a-anyway.” 

“Chakra, hm?” he says, his smile growing wider. “I look forward to continuing this conversation with you when you do find your words, Miss Sakura. Now then,” he looks at her mother. “It appears that Dr. Tsubasa would like to research Miss Sakura here. Very publicly, as you already know. We've stated our offer. How will you proceed?” 

Her mother frowns slightly at the mention of Dr. Tsubasa. “So as long as she studies under her,” her mother says, nodding at the old woman with the syringe in her hair. “And then attends U.A. when she’s of age, she’s under your school’s protection from anyone finding out about her, ah, unique situation.” 

“Miss Sakura will still have to apply to our school just like everyone else,” the dog/bear/mouse man says. “However, she may do so as a recommended situation. Once a student at U.A, I can assure you she will be able to live publicly with her situation without forfeiting her safety until she becomes a hero.” He fixes Sakura with a look. “That is if Miss Sakura here wants to become a hero, of course.”

Her mother looks at Sakura. “What do you say, Sakura?” 

Sakura thinks about her mama’s brave smile when she told her she wanted to be a hero. She thinks about her friends and her mentor from the Before.

_"Shannarō!"_

* * *

Izuku is five, and he's Quirkless. Well, no, he's not Quirkless. Well, yes, technically the doctor told him he is Quirkless, but he's still holding out hope that maybe, just maybe, his Quirk was taking its time to come in. He goes to bed each night wishing that when he wakes up he’ll have a powerful Quirk like Kacchan. It'll come any day now. Hopefully it'll come very soon because if he's Quirkless, he thinks Kacchan will never be his friend again. Izuku will never forget the look of disappointment on Kacchan's face when he told him the news. They made a promise to each other that Kacchan would be the hero and Izuku would be his sidekick, and yet, here Izuku was ruining everything, like always.

At first Izuku thinks he deserves Kacchan being mad at him. He deserves Kacchan calling him Deku because, well, he is useless if he's Quirkless. But when the words Kacchan throws at him start to hurt the same way a cut or a bruise would, he tries to get him to stop. He even firmly, but politely tells Kacchan to stop, just like his mom had told him to try. But then Kacchan starts hurting him with more than just mean words and Izuku doesn't know what to do. He doesn't think his mom would have an answer either, so he doesn't tell her anything. He just starts dressing in clothes that don't show his skin. 

It's the first time he spends his summer alone. He tells his mom he’s going outside to play in the park with Kacchan and their friends, but it's a lie. They stopped inviting him to play with them months ago. He wonders if his mom notices he's lying. All she mom tells him is to be back before dinner.

He wanders his neighbourhood thinking about what Quirk he’ll wish for tonight. He wants a Quirk that can help as many people as possible. Something like All-Might’s, maybe. He’s shaken out of his thoughts when he sees a girl with pink hair walking up a house. He rubs his eye. Yeah, she is walking up a house as if gravity was just an option for her. Does she have an anti-gravity Quirk? Amazing! Did it only affect her ability to climb surfaces, or could she use it to make other things bend the rules of gravity? Could she float, too? Could she fly— 

“It’s not an anti-gravity Quirk!” the girl calls out. 

Izuku flushes bright red. Oh no, when did he get so close to her? Oh no, is he saying everything out loud?!

“Yes,” the girl says, walking down her house and heading towards him. When she reaches him, she sticks her hand out at him. “I’m Watanabe Sakura! Who’re you?” 

“I’m—I’m Midoriya Izuku!” 

“Nice to meetcha, Midoriya!” she says, smiling brightly at him. Midoriya feels his face getting warmer. He thinks he hears her mutter to herself about something about improving her senses, and he’s about to ask her what she means until she adds, “Gotta ask you to, um, keep what'cha saw a secret though.” 

“Y-your Quirk?” he asks. “Why? It’s so cool! What other things can you do with it? Can—” 

“Yeah, that,” she says scrunching her face. “I’ll get in big trouble if people see me using it. It’s ‘posed to be a secret.” 

“O-oh,” Izuku says. “I promise I won’t, uh, tell anyone! I swear!” 

She holds out her pinky. At his confused look she explains, “Aoi says you gotta swear using your pinky finger. It, um, means we’re locking this promise up.” When they lock pinkies she gives him a serious look. “My mama’s a lawyer so if you, um, break this promise she’ll lock you up!” 

“I won’t! I won’t!” Izuku feels sweat dripping down his face. “I’m sorry! Please don’t lock me up!” 

Sakura laughs. “It’s a joke, Midoriya!” 

“I-I don’t, uh, get it.” 

Sakura laughs harder at that. “I like you, Midoriya! Let’s be friends.” When he just stares at her in shock (because really, why would she want to be his friend?) he thinks she looks a little nervous when she quickly adds, “Only—um, only if you want to, though!”

“N-no,” he shakes his head. “Let’s be friends, Watanabe!” 

“OK, but you gotta call me, Sakura!” she says, her smile is wide that Midoriya can see she’s missing her two front teeth. “Can I, um, call you Izuku, then?” 

“Y-yeah!” 

Izuku spends the rest of his summer with her. Izuku learns a lot about Sakura in the short time that they are together.

She has one mom just like him (he always knew it wasn't weird to have one parent despite what Kacchan and the other kids would say, and now he has proof!) Sakura's mom is a lawyer and is always busy with work, that’s the only reason Sakura says he’s never met her yet, but she promises him they'll meet soon.

Sakura spends most of her time with her grandmother (she’s really nice and makes the best rice balls Izuku’s ever had in his whole life) and her aunt (she’s really nice, but makes Izuku swear to never call her auntie. Also, just like Sakura, her jokes are a little scary, and he doesn’t really understand them.)

Sakura is also kind of weird because she doesn’t care as much about heroes (Izuku’s never, ever met a kid who didn't have at least _one_ favourite hero), but she always listens to his ideas and always has something interesting to say.

Sakura’s really, really, smart, too. She always tries to use big words but makes a funny face whenever she can’t say them properly.

Sakura loves reading books (real books, she tells him, not like the comic books that Izuku reads, but sometimes he catches her reading the ones about the Ninja Hero: Edgeshot.)

She really, really likes ninja. She likes watching movies, but she doesn’t like video games, TV, or even the internet unless she has to research something.

She’s very affectionate, and loves to give Izuku lots of hugs and hold his hands (which still makes him go bright red and feel really nervous, but he’s slowly learning how to reciprocate.)

She likes to thank things, like her room when she leaves it for the day, or a book when she's finished reading it. Izuku thinks it’s a really kind thing to do, so he starts to thank things, too.

On Saturdays, Sakura has to go downtown to do work with her mentor (she tells him she can't really talk about it to him, not yet anyway.) Izuku used to love Saturdays (after all, all the best cartoons air on Saturday mornings), but now that it’s the one day a week he’s alone, so he hates them.

He doesn't forget how Kacchan and his friends make him feel awful, or the fact that he’s still Quirkless, but when he’s with Sakura, he can at least ignore those things for a while.

When he’s alone on Saturdays he starts to wonder if maybe Sakura will only be his friend for just the summer. He starts to worry about what happens after the summer ends, but quickly puts those thoughts aside. He doesn't want to think about what the end of the summer might look like. Nope! No way!

Mid-way through the summer, they’re hanging around a stream in a nearby forest looking for a slug that Sakura says answers to the name Katsuyu. Sakura says she doesn’t have the words to explain why they need to find this slug, but she says it’s important so Izuku helps her.

As they search, Izuku starts asking her questions about her Quirk (because sometimes she's really, really strong, so is she sure that her Quirk isn’t anti-gravity? Maybe she's making objects and people lighter, too.)

Sakura goes quiet.

Izuku worries then that he’s annoyed her like he used to annoy Kacchan, but then Sakura leans in so close to him that Izuku's face goes bright red and he starts to sweat. She tells in a quiet voice that she has two more secrets to share with him: she has three Quirks, and she’s been training under Recovery Girl to learn how to properly use one of them. 

At this point, Izuku's pretty sure Sakura is one of his closest friends, perhaps even his only friend if wasn't still holding out for Kacchan. And, of course, just like Kacchan she’s powerful, too. A terrifying thought seizes him: what if she leaves him, too? What if she doesn’t want to be his friend because he’s Quirkless—

“You’re Quirkless?” Sakura asks, and before his heart can break for the second time this year, he runs away.

He only manages to get a short distance away from her until she tackles him to the ground.

“Stop! Izuku, stop trying to run away! I’m—I’m not gonna to stop being your friend for a stupid reason like that.” 

“I’m—I’m sorry!” When he sits up and sees her face he realizes she’s crying, too. 

Sakura tells him about an old friend she used to have. "He used to be hated by a lot of people,” she says. “But he was still the kindest person ever even if people hated him. Even when his friends—when people like me—were always messing up.” Sakura wipes at her eyes. “I wasn’t the nicest to him…..I kept messing up. I got it right eventually, but, um, Izuku, your friends are 'posed to accept you for who you are. Quirkless or not, you're my precious friend an' nothing's gonna change that! Believe it!" 

Izuku hopes she doesn’t feel him trembling when he pulls her into a hug. 

  
  


Their last week together before school starts is the week of the annual summer festival. Izuku and his mom usually would go with Kacchan and his parents. At the start of the summer he was dreading having to pretend to his mom that, no, he actually didn’t want to go this year. But even that now he actually does have a friend to go to the festival with, he's still dreading it. After the summer festival, it means no more seeing Sakura almost every day. Maybe Sakura will tell him she wants to stop being his friend once the summer ends. Maybe— 

“Izuku!” He blinks, realizing Sakura’s been talking to him this entire time. “Are you even listening?” 

“S-sorry!” 

“You gotta stop apologizing,” she says, nudging him with her elbow. When he adjusts his yukata and she slaps his hand. “Stop messing with your yukata, too! You look fine! Anyway, let’s go get umeboshi before they light the lanterns!”

This year’s summer festival is going to be the biggest one yet, with the plan being to have thirty thousand lit lanterns released the night sky. 

“Umeboshi?” Izuku feels his lips pucker when he remembers what it tastes like. He doesn’t get why Sakura likes that sour, salty thing.

She reaches for his hand and says, “Let’s go to the dango stand next to it, too.” 

After securing umeboshi for her and dango for him, they go find their moms. Both women manage to find a nice central spot for them to release their lanterns and watch all the other lanterns float into the night sky.

As soon night falls, everyone begins preparing to light up their lanterns. A countdown starts. 

“Three….” 

Izuku suddenly remembers that they still haven’t found the slug that Sakura needs. Will she go look for it with someone else once the summer ends? 

“Two……”

Izuku thinks about all the comics he still wants her to read (he's been buying comics about Edgeshot instead of All-Might because he knows he's her favourite hero even if she won't admit it.)

He thinks about all the questions he still has about her Quirks, about the books she reads, and about all the complex medical stuff she’s learning that he doesn't understand. 

“One!” 

Their lanterns float up into the skies along with the thousands of others, creating a spectacular play of light and dark.Their moms tell them to make a wish. Izuku shuts his eyes tight and for the first time this summer he doesn’t wish for a Quirk.

When he opens his eyes, Sakura stares back at him with a bright smile. Izuku doesn't know what expression he has on his face because soon her smile drops.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” 

“A-after the summer ends,” he stammers. “A-are we still going to be f-friends?” 

She starts laughing and he thinks _of course._ He knew he wouldn't want to be friends with someone like him. He is Deku, after all. 

His lips wobble as he tries to fight the tears threatening to spill from his eyes. But then she pulls him into a tight hug and cries out, “Izuku, you’re my first and most precious friend! You can’t get rid of me that easily!” 

* * *

**ten years later**

“You never use the word Quirk,” Izuku says out of the blue. It’s after school, and they’re sitting in his room doing homework.

Well, Izuku is doing his homework at his desk. Sakura is lying on his bed reading one of his Edgeshot comics. 

Just like in the Before, she finds the school work here to be ridiculously easily. She’s been top of her class since grade school.

She always completes her assignments in record time (her current record is five minutes) and still receives full marks. Lately she's been napping in most of her classes because whenever she does she remembers a sleepy-eyed boy with spiky brown hair and the memories of him wakes up from her naps laughing (she still laughs even if her teachers wake her up by throwing chalk at her.) 

Sakura turns the page to see a double-page spread of Edgeshot piercing through his opponent's organs. “What?” 

“You never use the word Quirk,” Izuku repeats. “You’ve used powers,” he holds up a finger, “life force,” he holds up second finger, “and energy,” he holds up a third finger. “But never Quirk. Why?” 

She looks at him. “Because people don’t have Quirks, Zu.”

“Let me guess,” he says. “You still don’t have the words to explain how chakra works, huh?” 

She tosses the comic at his head. “You’re getting cheekier each day, huh? Brat.” 

“I learn from the best,” he flashes her a winning smile as he stoops to pick up the comic and put it away.

He’s no longer the insecure, panicky, crybaby of a boy she met when they were five. Well, OK, he is definitely still all that, but whenever they are alone she starts to see some confidence and even a bit of sass coming out of Izuku, too. 

Sakura snorts. “I’m officially banning you from ever seeing Big Sis again.” 

“But who else will give me any intel on heroes?” 

“You have a serious problem, Zu.” 

“Says the girl who denies scientific fact—ow, hey, easy, Sacchan!” Izuku tries to free himself from her sudden headlock. 

Sakura squints her eyes when she spots something on his wrist. She releases his head and grabs his arm. She pulls his sleeve up revealing a large, ugly bruise decorating his forearm. “Izuku.” 

“It’s nothing,” he says quickly, wrenching himself away from her hold. “I just, um, slipped earlier today.” 

The relationship between Izuku and this Kacchan guy still somewhat baffles Sakura. The first time she sees Izuku covered in bruises and crying about Kacchan destroying his first Hero Analysis for the Future notebook, she asks Inko for Kacchan’s address intending to beat the shit out of him, fully heal him, and then beat the shit out of him again. For her to not go through with beating Kacchan's ass, it takes Izuku telling her that Kacchan was still his friend despite it all and that he could not bear to see him get hurt because of him.

Sakura understands Izuku a little when she remembers her blonde best friend from the Before who risked his life for a village that hated him since the day he was born. She understands all about being the bigger person. It doesn't mean that _she_ has to be the bigger person—she'll absolutely beat the shit out of Kacchan the second she meets him. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, when she heals his bruise. She checks for other injuries and finds a cut on the back of his leg. “Sorry,” he repeats. 

“You say the word,” she tells him, voice growing serious. “And I will kick his ass into next week.” 

Izuku, almost as if remembering Sakura’s enhanced strength, starts to look panicked on Kacchan’s behalf. “That’s a promise,” she adds, and she laughs when he starts sweating and nervously asks her to refrain from threatening to harm Kacchan. 

It's then that Inko calls them down for dinner. Sakura drools a little thinking about what delicacy Inko's made them for dinner tonight.

“Gross, Sacchan.” Izuku says, nudging her. Ah, there's the small smile she was looking for.

“You don’t understand how lucky you are to have someone who cooks as well as your mom,” she tells him as they make their way downstairs. “Now that Bachan isn’t staying with us anymore, I’m left to fend for myself.” 

They settle around the dinner table and Sakura wills herself to not immediately stuff her face. "You've really outdone yourself, Auntie." 

"This is literally just grilled fish and rice, Sacchan," Izuku says. 

"Oh, hush," Inko jokes. "Please continue, Sacchan." 

Sakura continues her praise until Izuku jokingly begs her to stop. The conversation shifts to idle chat about school (Izuku is second in his class, Sakura is still somehow at the top of her class despite napping in all her classes for the most part), about Inko's work (she's well on her way to getting a promotion and Sakura tells her when she gets the well-deserved promotion, she'll bring her favourite cake the next time she's over), about Sakura's mother (she has civil case in court next week about some hotshot up and coming hero who accidentally destroyed a treasured Mom and Pop shop downtown.) 

“Mom, can I go visit Sakura at the hospital tomorrow after school?” Izuku asks. 

“Really, Izuku,” Inko says. “You still have more questions? Are you sure you aren’t bothering Recovery Girl?” 

“Shuzenji-sensei has so much patience for him,” she grumbles. “I can’t wait for the day she snaps on you, too.” 

“He’s late,” Sakura mutters darkly.

”You kids today have no sense of patience,” Chiyo says with a weary sigh. The two of them are waiting for Izuku in the waiting area of the hospital. He's ten minutes late.

Normally Sakura wouldn't mind the delay, but she knows his Q&A session with Chiyo lasts for about twenty minutes at the minimum. Meaning that she would only have less than fifteen minutes to check out her favourite store before it closes for the day, leaving Sakura without her special edition stickers sold exclusively at said store. 

It was at age 10 that Aoi introduced Sakura to what would become her biggest obsession: the nine-member Korean boy band Cloud 9. Sakura loves all nine members, but she loves the group's lead vocalist, Lee Min-ho, a little more.

At first, Sakura has a passing interest in the group. They're all cute, and they make catchy songs. Then she discovers their fan base, the Angels, and falls in love with the small community built around this group of nine boys. It's a refreshing change from the Before, where she remembers being in a bitter rivalry with her best friend and her classmates over a boy that barely paid them any mind.

Twenty minutes later, Sakura and Chiyo are still waiting for Izuku. It's only then that Sakura starts paying attention to the TV in the waiting area. It's showing a dramatic live news feed of a sludge man robbing a bank. Video feed then cuts to the sludge man seizing the body of a tween boy. Huh. That boy looks a little familiar to Sakura for some reason. It takes her a solid minute to realize the boy is Izuku.

She misses the unimpressed gaze Chiyo sends her. “Oh my god! Sensei, we need to help him!” 

“That took you far too long to realize it was Izuku,” Chiyo mutters. “Anyway, he’ll be fine.” 

“But—”

 _“And there’s All-Might!”_ Sakura whips her head back to the TV. Sure enough, there's All-Might, dressed in casual clothes, flying towards the sludge man. 

"Doesn't he look weird in casual clothes?" Sakura asks. "You think he can actually go to the shops here, or do you think he has to get his casual clothes specially made like his hero suit?"

"Oh, hush," Chiyo says, but Sakura can see her smirking a little. 

_“Texas Smash!”_

_“He’s done it again, he's defeated the Sludge Villain! As expected of the world’s number one hero!”_

“Sensei,” Sakura says suddenly. She watches All-Might trap the Sludge Villain inside two soda bottles. She smiles a little when the camera catches Izuku’s awestruck expression as he looks at All-Might. What a dork. 

“Yes?” 

“Should I name my fight moves after our country’s prefectures?” Sakura asks. “Something like Hokkaido High Kick?”

Sakura’s met with silence. Even without looking at her, she can already tell the kind of look Chiyo is giving her. After a full minute of complete silence, she reaches for her phone to call Izuku. When she realizes he’s likely still too starstruck to do anything, much less check his phone for a missed call, she does something unimaginable: she texts him. 

Now, look, phone calls are something Sakura can support. She loves calling people. It's the next best thing to an in-person conversation, after all. But texting? Terrible. It could not convene feelings the way the sound of laughter or a hug could. No, she's definitely not a weirdo for preferring calls over text. 

**sakura:** Call me as soon as you get this! 

It hasn't even been ten minutes yet when the TV is blaring: _“It appears the Sludge Villain has escaped and has taken yet another young man as victim!”_

“Again?!” 

“It’s not Izuku this time,” Chiyo says, eyes on the TV. “Ah, no, there he is. He’s running towards the vil—Sakura? Sakura, where are you going?! Leave it to the heroes to handle!”

Sakura bolts out the hospital doors before Chiyo can say anything else. By the time she arrives to the scene, All-Might has already handled the situation again (she hears her mother’s voice in the back of her head nagging, “Well, if he did his job properly, then there would be no situation to handle again.”) She looks around for Izuku, but does not find him among the crowd of people.

Sakura closes her eyes and tries to zero in on Izuku’s chakra signature. She needs to remember to practice improving her sensing because unlike in the Before, there are way, way more chakra signatures in her city. By the time she's able to track him down, the sun is already starting to set. She finds him kneeling on the ground before a blond, skeletal-looking man. She’s about to jump in when the man plucks a strand of his blond hair, holds it out to Izuku, and asks him to eat it. Much to Sakura’s absolute horror, Izuku actually _eats it_. 

“What the fuck?” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sakura: *uses chakra*  
> recovery girl & dr. tsubasa: talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show stopping, spectacular, never the same, totally unique, completely not ever been done before, unafraid to reference or not reference, put it in a blender, shit on it, vomit on it, eat it, give birth to it.
> 
> izuku:  
> sakura: ok so here’s my life story 
> 
> i feel like i've been possessed to write these god awful bnha fics during quarantine. anyway, hope y'all are staying safe!


	2. memores acti prudentes futuri

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mindful of things done, aware of things to come. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> went back made some edits today. hopefully you aren’t getting a weird notification of some sort.

Looking at it now, Toshinori should have been more careful. But he is tired, and this is not the first of many grave slip-ups he’s made in his life. No, while he’s made many mistakes in his career, this one is certainly the worst to date.

It starts, as all his mistakes do, with nothing but the most pure intentions. But what is that expression again? Hell is paved with good intentions, indeed. 

It happens like this: he feels the reasons behind being a Symbol of Peace slipping each day. The basis for his heroic actions are no longer due to his promise to become a pillar of hope that people could always rely upon. Instead, it warps into something half-way between a need for validation and a proof of self-worth.

He starts to forget many things, too. 

He doesn’t remember the point when he starts taking pride in his immense strength, speed, and agility instead of the blood, sweat, and many broken bones it took for him to control his powers. 

And his smile? The one he gets from Nana? When it stops being genuine and starts becoming forced, he doesn’t know. 

So, it happens like this: Toshinori is _tired_ , sees this slip of a boy, Quirkless and all, rush to save his classmate, and it’s like he’s been dosed in ice cold water. He thinks—no, he _knows_ that this boy will be the ninth user of One for All.

Now, here’s how it’s supposed to go: it’ll be sunset, and he’ll tell the boy, Midoriya, that he’s next. He’ll tell him to meet him at Takoba Beach, where Midoriya will train his body until he develops strong enough muscles to handle One for All. 

Here’s what happens: Toshinori, who’s been holding up his empowered form a little too long today, sees that it’s sunset, sees the next Symbol of Peace before him, says his piece to the boy, and plucks a strand of his hair for him to eat. 

Nana always did say that one day Toshinori’s impulsive and reckless behaviour would bite him in the ass. He didn’t think it would be today.

He watches Midoriya’s limbs moving uncontrollably in painful contortions, his small frame unable to handle the immense power of One for All. Toshinori, for the first time in his life, is powerless. He just watches in paralyzed fear as the One for All rips through Midoriya’s body until a small, pink-haired girl rushes to the boy's side. She holds Midoriya down as he convulses and lifts his shirt up. Something—a green, maybe orange glow—gathers to her four fingertips which she applies with immense force onto Midoriya’s abdomen, knocking him out. 

The girl checks over Midoriya a few times, and when she’s satisfied with her work she stands up and levels a pointed finger at Toshinori. 

“What the hell did you give him?” she shrieks.

He learns the girl who saves his young successor’s life is Watanabe Sakura. She is his long-time childhood friend, and, surprisingly, Chiyo’s apprentice. Toshinori heard about the news some time ago, but he didn’t realize her apprentice was so young. He can definitely Chiyo's handiwork now in the girl's insistence that they go to Chiyo’s hospital so that she can double check to make sure Midoriya’s alright.

The entire walk over is done in an awkward, tense silence as the girl carries the still-unconscious Midoriya the entire way (she immediately refused Toshinori's offers to carry the boy.) 

When they arrive, Chiyo takes them to the private room she usually reserves for Toshinori’s own check-ups. Toshinori hovers uselessly next to Chiyo as he watches her examine Midoriya. Watanabe sits on as far away from them as possible, opting to sit on the single chair by the only window in the room. 

“Sakura, what did you _do_?” Toshinori doesn’t think he’s ever heard Chiyo sound so utterly baffled before. It’s then that he sees a strange tattoo on Midoriya’s abdomen, the same spot the girl had placed her four fingers.

“He’s still got All For One,” Chiyo says. “How it’s not tearing his body a part, I have no idea. He should be awake in a few hours.” 

“I actually don’t know,” the girl admits, staring out the window with an almost pained expression on her face.

“Well, whatever you did saved his life,” Chiyo says, and he can hear a bit of pride in her voice. It’s the wrong thing to say apparently as Watanabe erupts. 

“He could’ve died, sensei!” She jumps off the chair—it clatters to the floor—and curls her hands into fists. “I—I don’t even really know what the hell that was, and it still could have killed, Izuku! I could have...” The giant wave of sudden anger dies down to a ripple. 

“Sakura,” Chiyo says, voice gentle. “You did the right thing. 

Toshinori decides to leave then to give the two of them privacy. He waits outside of the hospital room. After a few moments, Watanabe joins him in the hallway. 

“Alright, so, uh, we both kind of almost killed Izuku,” the girl nervously admits, and that makes Toshiniro cough up a bit of blood. “Well, no, _you_ mostly tried to kill him. Shuzenji-sensei won’t tell me what you did, she said I have to ask you.” 

They retreat back into the hospital room and Toshiniro explains. When he’s done, Watanabe stares at him. He stares back at her. 

“Let me—” she stops suddenly and takes three deep breaths and then tries again. “Let me get this straight, you gave Izuku _your hair_ to _eat,_ ” she gestures at his mop of blond hair, “and he inherited your Quirk—one that would have killed him because of your stupid mistake? And you’re,” she gestures again at him and this time her hands are moving a little frantically, “you’re actually _All-Might_?” 

“Precisely, young Watanabe.” 

Absolute silence reigns for a good five minutes in the hospital room. Then, voice sounding resigned, the girl asks, “So, how do we fix this?” 

He tells her it should take Midoriya ten months of training. He tells her about Takoba Beach, the place where he wants Midoriya to train so his body could become a better vessel for One for All. The Quirk will not kill him once he’s done training. It will certainly hurt him, but it will not kill him after the ten months. He’s sure of it.

“Looking forward to working with you then, Mr. All-Might,” she says, offering him a small smile.

  
  


During the course of the ten months with Midoriya and Watanabe, Toshinori sees ghosts. Technically, when he first saw Quirkless Midoriya charge out at the Sludge Villain to protect his classmate, the first ghost he saw was of his past self, back when he was just fashioning out his idea of becoming a symbol of Peace. Now training with the boy and Watanabe, he sees the ghost of his long-dead mentor, Nana. It happens especially when the two of them spar. 

When Watanabe hits Midoriya with intensity and flurries of hooks and uppercuts, at first he thinks she punches like him. After a few spars, he realizes that no, it’s not his own punches that he’s seeing. When the girl turns her core muscles and back, arms swinging, he sees, just for a second, Nana’s dark hair and all-too sharp eyes. 

Where Watanabe is calculated, Midoriya is sloppy. He lacks the finesse that she has, his punching patterns too predictable with obvious leads, just like Toshinori when he was first training under Nana. Midoriya leaves himself too open, and when he falls flat on his back from a well-placed kick, Toshinori has to blink because he’s looking down at himself, years younger. 

What Midoriya lacks in skill, he makes up for it with One for All's raw power. He’s catches Watanabe off-guard a few times with the few hits he’s able to land on her. He still lacks control with the Quirk, breaking multiple limbs many times over the course of their time together. Whatever strange tattoo on Midoriya’s abdomen stops One for All from overtaking and destroying his still-weak body with too much of its power.

Toshinori sees himself especially in Midoriya’s resolve to continue despite the many injuries he incurs, although temporary as they may be. 

The first time Watanabe heals Midoriya, Toshinori learns that the girl has three Quirks. She’s a strange mix of Nana and Chiyo, with strength enhancements and an incredibly powerful healing Quirk. 

Briefly, he wonders if the girl could possibly be the one to fully heal him, to bring All-Might back to his former glory. He doesn’t ask, though. Nor does Chiyo. It ends up being Midoriya who asks. 

“I don’t think I can fix it,” she admits. “I know someone who might, if I can find them.” 

Toshinori looks at her, at Midoriya, at the next generation of heroes and thinks, no, it’s alright. The world has another Symbol of Peace to look forward to.

He can manage until then. 

* * *

Sometimes when Sakura gets really overwhelmed, Inner takes over for her. Sometimes she feels like she’s floating as Inner takes over her body, other times she’s tucked away into her mindscape. It used to happen regularly when Sakura was very tiny, very confused and very scared about being so small. It happens again when she sees Izuku almost die. She wants to hate All-Might—no, Yagi—for nearly killing him, but then again whatever Inner did could have also killed Izuku. 

In that moment, she was acting just as reckless as the kind of hero her mother hates. Worst of all, she _still_ does not know what exactly Inner did to Izuku. All Inner tells her is that it’s something from the Before and that Izuku will be fine. Sakura doesn’t understand how Inner knows so much more about the Before than her. It’s unfair, but Sakura doesn’t probe further. She still gets bits and pieces from the Before, especially when she researches, so she does that for next few hours in her bedroom. 

Her research leaves her questioning her own core beliefs. She _knows_ everything here uses chakra: animals, plants, people. She can feel it. She still can’t find her words to truly explain what chakra is and how it works, though. There’s no way yet for her to explain it in a way that makes sense, and that does not have people immediately calling for her to see a psychiatrist.   
If she could find her words, she would be able to tell Izuku, for example, that he is not Quirkless, he just has smaller than average reserves. This is Sakura’s theory as to why he never manifested what they call a Quirk. She tried many times to get him to meditate, but nothing seemed to work to grow his small reserves. When she probes his chakra system now, she feels an unnaturally large reserve pooling in the pit of his stomach. It makes her think about her blonde best friend from the Before who had raw, volatile chakra that was not of his own. She wonders if he’s the reason why she knew what to do about Izuku. Inner’s silence has her thinking she’s onto something. 

And yet, she has to wonder how on earth did Izuku manage to get that much chakra transferred into him from a single strand of hair. It's baffling and leaves her with a slight headache.

"It might be a like that Karin girl," Inner offers. "I believe she was able to transfer chakra, too." 

_Who? What? How?_

"Uh, actually, never mind." 

Sakura sighs, rubbing her temples. She still firmly believes in chakra, no matter the strangeness that was Izuku's situation. She rejects the notion of Quirks because, well, it’s chakra manipulation being applied in a single-minded fashion. It is so _stupid_ the way this society makes people limit their immense capacity to do more because they are taught their powers are limited to one ability. That’s what she wants to tell Izuku and Chiyo whenever they show her oddball Quirks to prove that Quirks are a real thing and that people have just one ability. She’s still left unconvinced because of Inner being able to explain away each Quirk they’ve shown her as a jutsu, genjutsu, nature transformation, and so forth. They almost had her with that damn Washing Machine Hero until it later came out that they weren't actually a sentient washing machine, but instead just an incredibly private person who wore a very well-done washing machine costume. 

How their society organizes itself as result its views on Quirks is also incredibly stupid, too. Japan, for all its claim of being the safest country in the world thanks to All-Might, tends to do very little to actually keep most of its population safe. If you are Quirkless, for example, you are essentially left to the wolves. Her friendship with Izuku shows her this daily. 

She wonders if Izuku’s readiness to nearly kill himself in the process of trying to help people is because of the treatment he’s received by being Quirkless. Could he even call his need to prioritize the lives of others over his own as him trying to be heroic considering he’s always been told his own life is worthless?

She just wants to shake him sometimes and tell him that he matters, he is loved, and that there’s no need for him to seek self-validation in people that care so little for him. But she knows the love he receives from her, from his mom, from Aoi, and from her own mom could not outweigh his classmates, his teachers, and society as a whole constantly telling him he’s worthless since the day he turned four years old. 

Sakura thinks about where this society’s resources are allocated, like how much money was thrown into the hero system, but how little was put into healthcare and other forms of education outside of heroics. She thinks about the quality of health care heroes receive compared to everyone else. She thinks about her mother, who tells her about the cases she’s lost, about the clients of hers who lost everything—their families, their lovers, their homes, their businesses—and who aren’t able to receive anything in return. Not an acknowledgement of negligent actions, not remuneration, they get _nothing_. 

“It makes you wonder,” her mother had said at the time. “Why the government, why heroes, are always so quick to talk about how these villains are just pure evil. You know what I think? If we take the time to hear the reason behind why villains do things like rob banks, we might find out it’s because they were failed by the very same institutions that are supposed to help them.” 

Oddly, that makes her think of Izuku and his bully Kacchan. Aoi had always said that if Izuku wasn’t such a kind-hearted soul, he’d have the makings of a truly impressive villain origin story. Izuku, meanwhile, always told her that Kacchan was the way he was because he was never told the word no, and that his behaviour was actively encouraged after the development of his powerful Quirk. She personally thinks the bastard is just an awful person outright and that there’s no need to involve society, but she can appreciate the argument of his awful behaviour is caused by being a product of a society so focused on power. She’d still kick his ass regardless of this fact. 

“Little scholar,” her mother says, pulling her out of her thoughts. She’s set down some tea and a bowl of fruits on her desk. “Are you ready for tomorrow?” 

She blinks. Oh right, the recommended students’ exam is tomorrow. “Yeah, Mama!” 

“Remember Aoi’s picking you up after,” she tells her, ruffling her hair. “I want you to do your best, but no matter what happens know that I’m proud of you.” 

Sakura smiles brightly at her. “Thanks, Mama.” 

When her mother leaves, a thought strikes her. She calls Chiyo, who picks up after six rings. 

_“What is it, girl?”_ Ah, she’s probably in the middle of watching one of her TV dramas. 

“I was wondering if I was allowed to use my powers,” she says. “All of them.” 

There’s a bark of laughter. _“Sakura, if you don’t go all out, I’ll withdraw my recommendation right now.”_

  
  


“Is this where the recommended students’ exam is taking place?” Sakura asks the tall young man with buzzed, dark brown hair standing by the school’s entrance. 

“Yes!” he screams back at her. “Hello!” I am Yoarashi Inasa!” He bows deeply, his head slamming into the concrete. “And you are?!”

“Watanabe Sakura,” she supplies, dipping her head. “Nice to meet you, Yoarashi!” 

When Yoarashi rises from his bow—well, she guesses that was his version of a bow—and stares deeply into her eyes.

“Watanabe!” Yoarashi grabs her hands. Flames are shooting from behind him somehow, and she thinks it's maybe a minor genjutsu he's using. “Your eyes! They’re very warm! I can see the hot-blooded spirit in them! You are a good person!” 

Sakura blinks. “Um, thank you?” 

“Let’s be friends!” 

“Oh, sure!” she smiles brightly at him. "Feel free to call me Sakura in that case.” 

“Call me Inasa!” 

Inasa is quite possibly the loudest boy she’s ever met, and for a bizarre reason that feels oddly nostalgic to her—kind of like the feeling of rediscovering an old book or movie from childhood. 

They walk together to the first part of the exam, the written test. She half expects him to talk about his springtime of youth. He tells (well, he screams, really) her about his thoughts on heroes, namely that the worst thing a hero can do is be filled with hatred. He refuses to acknowledge those types of people as heroes. He tells her about how Endeavour was once his favourite hero, and how much he aspired to be like him. He thought Endeavour was the example for all other heroes with his fiery passion, but when he finally met him he did not find a hot-blooded spirit that matched the man’s demeanour. Instead he found a hate-filled coldness in the man. 

“But you, Sakura,” he tells her, and behind him flames are back again. “You have warm eyes! Thank you!” 

“Uh, you’re welcome?” 

Sakura doesn’t get to speak to him again until after the end of the exam. 

U.A. High's recommended students’ entrance exam contains three parts. First is a written test that Sakura breezes through. The questions are ridiculously easy. She wonders why on earth she let Izuku force her to try to actually study for the test.

For the second part of the exam, all the students are taken to a three-kilometre long obstacle course. They divide the students into four groups. A loud, blond man—Present Mic—explains to them that this portion of the test consists of students racing six at a time through the course using their Quirks.

Inasa is part of the first group and Sakura watches him fly to the finish line. Literally. She absently thinks about how it’s refreshing to finally see a Wind Release user. 

When it’s Sakura’s turn, she disappears from the starting line in a puff of smoke and appears, seconds later, at the finish line.

There’s a stunned silence until Present Mic claps her shoulder and says (well, no, he’s screaming, too) she's set a new record. 

The last portion of the exam is an interview. She gets asked questions like: Why do you want to become a hero? What are some things you value in a community as you think about making a home for yourself here over the next three years? What are you afraid of? What are you motivated by? 

It’s the last question that gives her pause. What will you do if you don’t get accepted to U.A? Will you still try to become a hero? 

Sakura thinks about Inasa, and how much he reminds her of a boy she knew from the Before with his passion and determination. “I believe a hero is not the one who never falls,” she says finally. “A hero is the one who gets up, again and again, never losing sights of their dreams.” 

After her interview, Sakura finds Inasa waiting outside for her. She asks him how his interview went and he tells her that he’s withdrawing his application from U.A.

“Wait, _what_?” 

“I refuse to sit back and attend a school that allows its students to become people filled with so much hatred!” He’s staring past her as he screams this, and Sakura tries to see what he’s looking at, but he grabs her hands and forces her attention to him. 

“Sakura!” There are flames shooting from behind him again. “Good luck at U.A, I wish you the very best! I’m sure you will become a fiery, hot-blooded hero! Let’s see each other again soon!”

Several things happen at once: a mix of incomplete memories from the Before flood Sakura’s senses. She first sees two men in green jumpsuits screaming about their springtime of youth. Then she sees her blonde best friend making a vow to become Eternal Rivals. She can barely hear Inner telling her _no, Sakura, wait, you’re wrong,_ because somehow she knows this is _right_. 

When she feels Inasa’s hands loosen, she clamps down on his hands tightly. “Inasa! Let's not just be friends, let’s become rivals, too! External Rivals!” 

“Yes!” Inasa exclaims. “Let us challenge one another to become the absolute best, fiery, hot-blooded heroes we can be!” 

They stand there, hands joined, screaming encouragement at each other ("No, _you'll_ become the most amazing, hot-blooded hero, believe it!") for about ten minutes until Sakura's ride arrives and starts loudly beeping at her. They exchange numbers and part ways. When Sakura gets into the car, Aoi waggles her eyebrows suggestively at her. 

“Who was _that_?” she asks. “You cheating on our little Zuzu?” 

“Oh hush, _Auntie_ ,” Sakura bites back, and ducks when Aoi tries to slap her. “That’s Inasa, he’s my Eternal Rival.” 

Aoi observes her with a quiet bewilderment before starting the car. “I'm not ready to know the story there is just yet,” she says finally. “Anyway, how was it? You kick ass and take names?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Sakura replies. “It was pretty easy. I’m pretty sure I aced it. ”

“That’s my girl,” she says. “Where am I dropping you off again?” 

“Uh, the katsudon place we went to with Zuzu last time,” she says. 

“I can’t believe my little luddite is all grown up,” Aoi gushes. “It was just yesterday you were crying over medical textbooks. Honestly, I thought you were a serial killer. Look at you now, you’re right on your way to becoming—what does your mom call them again? Right, a state-sanctioned weapon of mass destruction!”

“You still think I’m a serial killer, Aoi,” Sakura mutters. “Take a left here.” 

“I know where the katsudon place is, I was the one that showed you brats that spot in the first place,” Aoi says. When they arrive at the restaurant she hands Sakura her credit card. “Treat Zu, too.” 

“Thanks, Big Sis,” Sakura says, pulling her into a one-arm hug. “I’ll see you later!” 

  
  


“Wait, wait you got to fight giant robots for your practical exam?” Sakura feels cheated. “All I did was run a stupid obstacle course!” 

“Also, um, you know the girl I saved? Uraraka?” Izuku’s face goes beet red. “I-I _talked_ to her and—and she gave me her _phone number!_ ” Izuku says this last part so quickly it takes Sakura a moment to process it. 

“So?” 

“So? So, Uraraka is a _girl_!” Izuku sweeps his hands out wide, almost as if to illustrate the grandness of the act.

Sakura gives him a flat look. “ _I'm_ a girl, Izuku.” 

Izuku gives her a startled look, almost as if it was at this precise moment he realizes she is, in fact, a girl.

“You—you’re different, Sacchan!” Izuku actually flinches when he considers how that sounds. “I mean, you’re not different—I mean, you _are_ different, but—I mean— _I’m sorry_!” 

“I’m kidding, you dork,” she says with a laugh. “So, when’s the wedding?” 

“I—you—Sacchan!” Izuku slams his head on the table. The tips of his ears are a brilliant scarlet. “Please stop.” 

“Alright, alright,” she concedes, stealing a pork cutlet from his plate. “You know, I met my Eternal Rival during my exam.” 

Izuku lifts his head up. “What?” 

“His passion is so inspiring!" Sakura gushes. "He’s, like, what youth is all about! I’ll have to introduce you to him sometime!”  
_  
“What?”_

“Yeah,” Sakura says, a starry expression on her face. “Anyway, how do you feel the exam went for you?”

Izuku mutters something suspiciously similar to what Aoi said about her new Eternal Rival (what is up with people not yet being ready for the concept of eternal rivalry?) before he slumps slightly in his seat.

“I don’t know,” he admits. “I mean, the written exam was fine. But for the practical….I don’t know. I didn’t score any points.”

“What about that gigantic robot? The one that almost killed your wife?”

“Sacchan, _please_ ,” he groans miserably. “It was worth zero points.” 

“Zero points?” Sakura frowns. “Well, they should accept you solely because you saved someone's life, then. I mean isn't that what being a hero is about?"

She ends up being right when they get their letters of acceptance. She calls her mom first, who’s working late for an upcoming hearing, then Aoi, who has a last minute fitting. They both promise Sakura a celebratory breakfast tomorrow. Then she calls Izuku who invites her over for a celebratory dinner. The last person she calls is Inasa, who tells her that he’s attending Shiketsu High School. He also tells her that because he got the second highest score after her on the recommended students’ exam, he challenges her to a spar on the weekend. She readily accepts. 

When she heads to Izuku’s house both him and Inko are, predictably, in tears and unable to form coherent sentences. It takes them twenty minutes to calm down, and when they do Inko tells them she’ll prepare their favourites: katsudon, and then animitsu for dessert. Sakura almost cries then and there, and Izuku has to physically drag her away from the kitchen to his room. 

“So,” she says, belly-flopping onto his bed. “How are you feeling?” 

He bursts into tears again, but this time it only takes him ten minutes to calm down. 

“All the people who told me I’m a failure, I’ll prove them wrong,” he says suddenly, and Sakura has to rub her eyes because for a split second Izuku has spiky blond hair, three whisker markings on his cheeks, and blue eyes. “I won’t be Kacchan’s worthless punching bag Deku forever. I'm Deku who always does his best!” 

“I hope to meet this Kacchan guy soon,” Sakura says, propping her head up with her hands. “I really, really hope I do.” 

"Please don't hurt him, Sacchan," he says after a moment. 

“Hey, you said he has an Explosion Quirk. Think if I throw him out a window, he can take flight?” 

* * *

Their first day at UA, Izuku is so nervous he actually forgets that this the first time in years that he is walking to school with a friend again. Instead he’s too busy praying to whatever higher powers that be that Katsuki is not in his and Sakura’s class (and also that scary guy with glasses, too.) He’s so focused on this that he completely misses everything Sakura is saying on their walk to school. He’s able to piece together that she has to go meet with Recovery Girl for a bit before classes start, so he’ll have to meet with their new classmates solo. 

“Save me a window seat, if you can,” she tells him as she takes off to the direction of the infirmary. 

When Izuku walks into his classroom and sees Katsuki, he almost turns back around and runs out of the classroom until Uraraka walks in after him. They grab their seats by the windows, leaving the seat behind Izuku free for Sakura. 

Uraraka is very easy to talk to. She even pulls in the scary guy with glasses into their idle chatter. It’s then Izuku learns that the scary glasses guy, Iida Tenya, isn’t all that scary, just very by the book about everything. By the time class starts he’s already fast friends with him. 

When their teacher arrives, they learn he’s the underground hero. Izuku’s eyes sparkle. Underground heroes are a challenge for him to research, given their secretive nature. And now he is being taught by one of the most elusive of them all! He almost pulls out his Hero Analysis for the Future notebook, but stops himself after shooting a quick glance at Katsuki. He'll take some notes at home. 

Ten minutes pass and Izuku starts to worry about Sakura until the door of their class slides open. All eyes are on his pink-haired friend. She regards the class and smiles at him when she sees the empty seat behind him. 

“Once you’re finished standing there uselessly, Miss Watanabe,” Aizawa says, fixing her with an unimpressed look. “Could you care to explain why you’re ten minutes late?” 

“I got lost on the road of life,” she replies, earning herself a couple of snorts and giggles from their class. When Aizawa’s unimpressed stare turns slightly menacing, she pulls out a purple slip of paper and quickly adds, “Wait, wait, no sorry, I was actually with Recovery Girl. Here.” 

Izuku tries to hide his snort as Sakura slides into her seat. He spots Katsuki watching her with a look of disgust and Izuku wonders how long it’ll take until World War III is upon them. When Aizawa makes them go outside to take a Quirk Apprehension Test, he thinks it’s then. But nothing happens as Class 1-A competes the series of tests. Izuku’s long forgotten about World War III, his concern now on him potentially getting expelled. 

Izuku isn’t surprised in the slightest to see Sakura acing the tests. During the 50 meter dash, Sakura just _appears_ at the finish line. 

Izuku walks over to her afterwards. “You’ve stopped using those puffs of smoke.” 

“Yeah,” she says, winding an arm over his shoulders. “I've been told it makes _some_ people cough.” 

“You—you!” Iida levels an accusing finger at her as he stomps over to them. “Did you even run?” 

“I did,” she says simply, which appears to anger Iida further. 

Uraraka, bless her heart, makes her over to them and diffuses the situation instantly with a simple question. “That was _so_ cool, Watanabe! Was that your Quirk?” 

“Yeah,” Sakura says, and Izuku has to stop himself from snorting at the bitter resignation in her voice. 

Iida bows suddenly. “My sincerest apologies to have judged you so suddenly and harshly, Watanabe!” 

She waves him away with her free hand. “It’s cool,” she says. “Also, feel free to call me Sakura. Ah, but I’m sorry, but I don’t know your names?” 

“Iida Tenya,” he supplies. 

“Uraraka Ochako,” she says, and Izuku nudges Sakura when he sees her eyebrows raise. "But feel free to call me Ochako then, Sakura!" 

Sakura's smiles mischievously at Uraraka, so Izuku nudges her again. 

“Ah, Midoriya I didn’t realize you and Watanabe were close,” Iida says, eying them with a curious look. 

“Yeah, yeah,” a girl with pink skin bounds over to them. “Are you guys, y’know, _together_?” 

“Me and Zu?” Sakura sighs dramatically. “Tragically, no. I’m not his type. He likes—”

Izuku nudges for the third time that day. “W-we’re childhood friends!” 

“My bad,” the girl says. “Ashido Mina, by the way! I love your pink hair!”

“Watanabe Sakura, but call me Sakura,” she says, flashing her a bright smile. “I love yours, too, Ashido!” 

Then Aizawa calls them all over for their last test, a ball throw. At this point, Izuku's pretty much forgotten about the war of the worlds, too nervous about potentially being expelled given his poor performance. He’s so nervous he nearly breaks his arm throwing the ball had Aizawa not erased his Quirk. He avoids Sakura’s (probably unimpressed) gaze on him as Aizawa lectures him. His teacher tells him that incapacitating himself for a Quirk that could only be used once was useless for someone looking to become a hero. 

Izuku wants to slap himself for being so careless. He spent ten months training with All-Might and Sakura only to _still_ break his arms and legs using One for All. He’s so caught up in these thoughts that he breaks his finger when he throws the ball. At least he manages to throw his ball farther than Katsuki, and Aizawa doesn’t seem to be that angry at him (he still avoids looking at Sakura.)

Uraraka tells him his throw was amazing, but Izuku can’t even enjoy her compliment because Katsuki, who Izuku now realizes is seeing his Quirk for the first time ever, tries to attack him. It’s then that Izuku makes the mistake. Voice trembling and body shaking, he accidentally calls him Kacchan when he tries to talk him down. He hates himself so much in that moment because even after all these years, even _with_ One for All, he’s still the same useless and scared Deku.

Then there’s a burst of something that knocks the wind out of Izuku and he’s suddenly trembling for an entirely different reason that he can’t even explain.

The air feels cold. 

“Kacchan?” He has never, ever seen Sakura this furious before. The effect is startling, all of a sudden Sakura looks very, very frightening. “ _That’s_ Kacchan?” 

Katsuki glares at her, but Izuku can see the uneasiness in his eyes. “What’s it to you, Forehead?!” 

The anger dissipates for a brief second as Sakura stares at Katsuki with a faraway look in her eyes, something Izuku used to see regularly when they were kids. But before World War III erupts, Aizawa cuts in then to present the results.

Izuku feels immense relief that the expulsion rule was a lie to pull out their best performances. Aizawa tells them all to return to their classroom, but stops Izuku and instructs him to go to Recovery Girl to have himself patched up. He’s thankful Aizawa doesn’t question his request to have Sakura walk him there. 

Perhaps he can delay World War III until lunch? He doubts Sakura would try anything during class. 

He’s only half right. 

* * *

Sakura remembers everything Izuku’s ever said about Bakugou. Absolutely _everything_. She knows that it’s when Izuku turns four and learns he's Quirkless that Bakugou starts increasingly behaving aggressively towards him. Shortly after that is when things shift from verbal to physical. There's cuts, bruises, and black eyes. Izuku's belongings start to go missing or end up charred. 

She also remembers the worst of Bakugou’s bullying, from the things he’s said that’s made Izuku not want to leave his room for an entire week, to the cuts and bruises he’s decorated onto Izuku’s skin. Each and every single time Izuku begged her not to cause any harm to Bakugou.

Izuku tells her that Sakura’s already given him a gift: he’s able to unload on her without feeling guilty about it. He tells her no one else has ever given him that, and he’s thankful for it. It’s enough for him to feel safe enough to express how he's feeling. And well, Bakugou is Bakugou, he says. There is no use trying to change him. He'll get bored with bothering him soon enough.

Sakura closes her eyes, sees Izuku who is _trembling_ as he tries to pacify the bastard, and tries to pull down the rush of anger (Killing Intent, Inner explains, and she tells her she needs to _calm down right now_ ) she feels as she walks Izuku to the infirmary. 

He’s talking a mile a minute at her trying to calm her down. “That’s just Kacchan,” he tries to tell her. “It’s not a big deal—really, it isn’t, Sacchan! Seriously, and—and Aizawa-sensei stopped him so—” 

“Sensei,” Sakura says when they arrive at the infirmary. Sakura gives her _the look._ Chiyo knows all about the bullying Izuku’s dealt with over the years by the infamous Kacchan, and she's heard enough from Sakura about her plans for when she finally meets him. “I leave Izuku in your capable hands.” 

“Ah, so it's time,” Chiyo nods in understanding. She grabs onto Izuku. “Try to not get expelled, will you?” 

“Wait, what ? Wait, no, Sacchan c’mon it’s not even—!” The door of the infirmary slides shut.

When Sakura returns to their classroom, she’s pleasantly surprised to learn that they are taking a ten-minute break. There’s a few students milling about, and she brightens when she spots Bakugou at his desk. 

“Oh, Sakura!” Uraraka greets her as Sakura passes by her. “Is Midoriya, OK?” 

“He’s alright,” she says, opening all the windows in their classroom. “Sen—Recovery Girl’s patching him all up.” 

“That’s great!” Uraraka says. There’s a look of confusion on her face. “But, um, Sakura, what are you doing?” 

“Give me one second, Ochako,” she says, walking over towards Bakugou. 

He glares at her. “What do you want, Forehead?” 

“You’re the famous Kacchan, right?” Sakura smiles at him, but the edges are sharp. “You’re Izuku’s, ah, friend,” she momentarily drops her smile as she spits the word, but she quickly recovers and continues, “From middle school, right?” 

“Deku?” he sneers. “Tch. We aren’t friends. He’s just some kid who went to the same school—” 

Sakura rears her fist back, pools chakra into it and punches him square in the face. There's the beautiful sound of something cracking when her fist connects. She hopes it’s his nose, or better yet his jaw. 

“What the f—!”

She punches him again, this time aiming it at his gut, smiles brightly when she hears a rib crack, and sends him flying out of one of windows she's opened. 

The class falls into a stunned silence. They all flinch when Sakura whips back around and makes her way to Uraraka. 

“Sorry,” she says, and clasps her hands together. Her classmates flinch again. “You were saying, Ochako?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i know technically their seats are supposed to be assigned, but let’s ignore that shall we? this is an au!!! also idk y’all all-might is massive (that man's leg is literally the same size of lil midoriya tbh) you’re telling me our string bean boy midoriya is able to handle one for all without it killing him after 10 months? like sure broken limbs are bad, but like my guy how tf are your muscles not degenerating from one for all???? (or maybe i really, really just wanted a reason for him to be sealed because ~naruto parallels~ lmao!!!) lemme know what you think! 
> 
> also omg!!!! i did not expect this response. thank you all for all the wonderful comments, i especially appreciate all the amazing theories! thank you!!!
> 
> i wasn’t 100% satisfied with this chapter, but anyway the next chapter will be when the bakugou/consequences tag kicks really in because our favourite lil' pomeranian needs to be held to account dammit!!! 


	3. malum quo communius eo peius

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The more common an evil is, the worse it is.

**sakura:** Hey, so this is my second text to you ever and I just want to say 

**izuku:** sacchan seriously don’t do it!!!! please!!!! 

**sakura:** I punched him out the window 

**sakura:** The window didn’t break, but his bones did 

**Izuku:** SACCHAN 

_Izuku is typing…_

  
  


**sakura:** He can’t fly, in case you were wondering 

**sakura:** ᕙ( * •̀ ᗜ •́ * )ᕗ

 **sakura:** Did I do that right? Do you see that proud little person? 

**Today**

**11:27 AM Missed call From Izuku**

**11:28 AM Missed call From Izuku**

**11:29 AM Missed call From Izuku**

**11:30 AM Missed call From Izuku**

* * *

Shota is a man rooted in logic and reason, and as a result most things in life do not take him by surprise. It is simple for him to find the logical conclusion of any given situation. That isn’t to say that his logic is flawless. No, there are times, as few as they may be, where Shota misses something in his initial calculation, leading to an unexpected outcome. This week stands as a clear example with Shota missing _a lot_ of things in his initial calculations about his class. 

This year, he thinks he won’t have to expel his entire class. After all, he’s got Endeavour’s son and Recovery Girl’s freak of nature protégée (because seriously having _three_ Quirks? Without a Quirk marriage involved, either?) as his students, and it was one thing to deal with Endeavour, but throw in Recovery Girl into the mix? _Hell no._

He calculates that maybe he can get away with expelling two of his students. At this point, he’s pretty much perfected detecting which of his students aren’t suited to be heroes, and yet here comesRecovery Girl’s protégée swooping in and becoming his number two problem child by punching her classmate out of a window. Absently, he couldn’t help but appreciate that at least she didn’t break any windows.

“I refuse to apologize,” Watanabe says, still smiling sweetly at Nezu and Shota. 

“Sakura,” Nezu says with as much patience he can muster. “You broke his jaw, his nose, _and_ his rib.”

Her smile widens. “Great.” 

“You’ll be expelled then,” Shota says flatly. 

“Expel me.” 

Shota pinches the bridge of his nose. He can feel a headache coming on.

“Sakura, you know very well we don’t want to do that, and you don’t want us to do that,” Nezu says with a sighs. “Can you help us here, hm? Why did you attack Bakugou?” 

“What do you know about the students of Class 1-A?” she asks instead. 

Nezu’s tail twitches. “Rest assured we’ve done our research.” 

“Clearly you don’t know enough,” Watanabe sniffs. “He deserves far more than all that.” 

“Well,” Nezu says, words slow and careful. “Can you explain to us then why he deserves such treatment?” 

“That’s not for me to explain, but for you, as educators, _to already know_ ,” she says, leaning back into her chair. “Expel me, I don’t care. He deserved it, and if I see that bastard bothering Izuku again, I’ll do even worse.” 

Ah, there’s his headache. “Watanabe, you should know about our policy regarding using Quirks against oth—”

“So, what, we’re just going to pretend that the bastard didn’t try to attack Izuku, either?” she asks, sitting up. “Or is it just because _someone_ managed to stop him that you're letting it slide?” 

Shota can feel Nezu’s beady eyes on him. “Hm? Bakugou attacked Midoriya?”

“I handled it,” Shota says, voice straining slightly. He initially dismissed Bakugou and Midoriya antics as a juvenile rivalry. He’s seen enough of that kind of behaviour over the years, especially among students with particularly powerful Quirks. 

“For now,” Watanabe mutters. 

“We will ensure that doesn’t happen ever again,” Nezu says, his eyes still trained on Shota. “Anyway, Sakura, we still need to know why you used your Quirk on Bakugou. Let us help you. Tell us why you did it.” 

“Look, I get it, those who break the rules are scum,” she suddenly says. For a moment Shota thinks they’ve finally broken through that thick skull of hers. But then she continues, “But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum, and I'd rather be expelled from this school than be someone like that.” 

She gets suspended for a week. Nezu gives Bakugou detention for a week for attempting to attack a fellow student. He also tasks Shota with investigating the Midoriya's and Bakugou's middle school experiences to shed some light on what Watanabe was alluding to. 

“If what Sakura is suggesting is what I think it is,” Nezu tells him, “Then it’s best to correct that as soon as possible, hm? I’ll have their middle school records ready for you before lunch.” 

There’s a glint in Nezu’s eyes that makes Shota uneasy. It’s the look he gets when he has the beginnings of a multi-step plan forming. He’s probably planning to shut the boys’ middle school down.

“To be fair,” Shota says, letting out a resigned sigh, “I was initially planning on expelling the two of them.” 

  
  
  


There are several odd things about Midoriya’s application, now that Shota has a moment to review it. First is the fact that he did not use any of his middle school teachers as a reference. Of all people, the boy uses _All-Might_ as his reference. There's nothing wrong with him using a Pro Hero as a reference, in fact it was well within the application guidelines. It’s just illogical. With a reference like that, Midoriya should have applied as a recommended student. Why didn't he? 

Bakugou, meanwhile, had used their homeroom teacher as his reference. The teacher offered nothing but glowing remarks about Bakugou. Shota decides to call the man over his lunch break.

He ducks into his office and spots the boys' middle school records already on his desk. Nezu, of all people, being given unfettered access to people’s personal information as a result of U.A’s cosy relationship with the government is truly a mistake that he hopes more people would come around to realizing. But until then, it would be something he'd just ignore. 

Shota rifles through the documents and notes that Midoriya’s been to the school’s infirmary far too many times than normla over the course of his middle school career. There are also many classroom incidents reports about Midoriya. The incident reports involve the same set of students, among them Bakugou. All of them blame Midoriya in some way, that, or they are labelled as accidents. 

_Midoriya accidentally got burned by Bakugou during gym class,_ reads one incident report. _Both parties assured that it was an accident._

 _Midoriya failed today’s uniform inspection again,_ reads another. _He arrived to class with a charred uniform jacket_. 

Shota calls the boys’ former middle school teacher. He lets the man know he’s just doing some additional background checks on the students. The man accepts his logical ruse easily and starts to sing his praises about Bakugou. When Aizawa’s had enough, he cuts him off and asks about Midoriya.

A pause. _“Midoriya? What about him?”_

Shota blinks. “Well, he’s also been accepted to U.A and _—_ ” 

_“Him?”_ There’s a clear note of disdain in the man’s voice. _“Surely you know that boy is Quirkless, don’t you? How on earth did he get accepted to U.A?”_

“Excuse me?” 

The man launches into a tirade about Midoriya, detailing how much of a problem child he was during middle school. He also spends a significant amount of time discussing how much of a bother Midoriya was to the other students, particularly to Bakugou. 

_“I’m not surprised,”_ the man seethes, _“That he would try to cheat his way into U.A. I’m glad you’ve noticed and are correcting it. It would be a shame to have someone like him ruin U.A’s impeccable record.”_

“Someone like him?” 

_“You know, Quirkless.”_

“Midoriya isn’t Quirkless, but is instead a late bloomer,” Shota says with an even voice. “He’s got quite a powerful Quirk, too. I’m sure you wouldn’t have known this because Midoriya knows better than to use his untrained Quirk in public, much less at school.” Shota feels slight satisfaction at the loud gulp the man takes. “What I’m interested in learning more about is why a teacher such as yourself would allow your students to use their Quirks not only in public, but also against each other. Surely you are aware of the laws about this?” 

_“W-well I—”_

“And surely,” Shota continues without missing a beat, “You are aware of this country’s anti-discrimination laws? Which you’ve certainly broken given the appalling treatment of Midoriya, who you assumed to be Quirkless.” 

_“L-listen—”_

“U.A is launching an investigation into your school, and you can expect to hear again from us shortly,” Shota adds, and then he hangs up. 

  
  


* * *

“Effective immediately, Watanabe Sakura has been suspended for this week,” Aizawa tells the class. “Bakugo Katsuki has also received a week’s worth of detention. Let this be a lesson to you all regarding the seriousness of using, or attempting to use your Quirks against your peers. That behaviour is not tolerated here.” 

“That was her _Quirk_?” someone behind Koji hisses. 

“She punched him like All-Might!” 

“Just goes to show you can’t judge people from their appearances, huh?” 

Koji slumps further into his seat. He knows that at U.A he could expect violence, but he didn’t anticipate it happening so soon. He shudders when he remembers the sound of Bakugou’s bones cracking.

Their class dubbed the situation The Punch. Most of the class was out when The Punch took place, many of them likely in search of snacks or an opportunity to get some fresh air during their ten-minute break. Even those, like Koji, who were there when The Punch happened were still piecing together the reason why it happened in the first place. Many went to Midoriya, who is apparently childhood friends with both Watanabe and Bakugou, but he offered little answers. No one could ask Bakugou because he’s still with Recovery Girl. 

Over the course of the day, many of his classmates exchanged theories about the cause of The Punch, not that Koji was included in those discussions. Some of his classmates had already misinterpreted his quiet, shy demeanour as someone to not mess with. It wasn’t his fault he’s so big and bulky! 

“Koda,” Aizawa says, snapping him out of his thoughts. He’s holding out a folder to him. “Seeing as you live the closest to Watanabe, could you take these to her house? These documents cannot be signed electronically.”

Koji almost squeaks out in surprise (when did he get in front of him so quickly?), but he quickly recovers and offers a quick nod. The document feels heavy in his hands. Oh no, he's going to see his violent, slightly unhinged classmate. _Alone._

“Alright,” Aizawa says, and he’s suddenly in the front of the class again. “We’ve thrown a lot at you in the past few hours. You have a free period now to get yourselves oriented. Just be quiet.” Aizawa then pulls out his yellow sleeping bag, slips into it, and then crawls underneath his desk. He kind of looks like a caterpillar doing that, and the thought makes Koji squeamish. 

His peers start switching seats and discussing quietly amongst one another, some about the assignments they have received, most though just exchange theories about The Punch. 

After some time, their classroom door slides open and walks in Bakugou. His entire face is wrapped in bandages. When he takes his seat, the boy with bright red hair sitting next to him leans over.

“Hey man,” he says. ““You alright? That look—” 

It’s mostly muffled, but even where Koji is sitting he can hear Bakugou angrily bark, “Don’t talk to me, you extra!” 

The boy backs off immediately. The class resumes their hushed discussions, though this time everyone begins talking about The Punch. 

“Koda,” he looks up to see his seat partner, Tokoyami, staring back at him with a serious look. “You are uncomfortable with your task,” he tells him, nodding at the folder in Koji’s hands. “It gives you great turmoil.” 

Koji stares at his classmate, unable to form a response. 

“If you would like, I can take on your mission for you,” Tokoyami says. He must have misinterpreted Koji’s look of confusion with something else because he quickly adds, “I am quite adept at handling creatures of chaos given the nature of my Quirk.” 

Koji blinks. Is he calling their classmate a _creature_? Also, what did chaos have to do with his Quirk? Oh, but wait! Tokoyami is being really kind to him right now. He must have seen how uncomfortable he is about having to go to their violent classmate alone. Koji feels tears welling in his eyes. His classmate didn’t assume just because Koji is big and bulky, he could handle someone like her. He feels seen for the first time in his life.

“Thank you,” he finally says, his voice barely above a whisper. “But I think I can manage, Tokoyami.”

Tokoyami nods. “Best of luck on your journey, Koda.” 

Once class is dismissed, Koji only makes it halfway to Watanabe’s house until he’s seized with the sudden memory of Watanabe’s fist connecting with Bakugou’s face. He changes directions and decides to go to the forest next to his house first. Maybe his classmate is right, maybe he does need some help. Maybe Katsuyu would be able to help him. Ah, he would need to buy her umeboshi first, though. 

Katsuyu is the first creature to speak to Koji. He’s about six when he first meets the slug. To be sure, Koji has long been speaking to animals before then. It was just the first time a creature approached him first, not the other way around. 

It happens when he’s exploring the forest in his backyard. He screams when he first sees Katsuyu because, well, she’s a _bug_ , and also she’s the same size as a large cat. 

He tries to run away, but she’s too fast for him (aren’t slugs _slow_? Wait, no, that's snails.) Koji actually passes out when the slug _grabs_ him (with what arms, he doesn’t know!)

“How rude,” the slug tells him when he comes to. “Do you know who I am?” 

Koji tries to respond, but all that comes out is a small, terrified squeak.

“I am the great Katsuyu-sama!” the slug cries out. “Here I am finally able to communicate to a human, and this is how you treat me, child? I’ll have you know that just today I fell off a rope bridge! I fell in the middle of a small town where the townspeople nearly killed me by throwing salt at me! Then I was almost hit by—what is that contraption called? Ah, a car! Yes, a car nearly hit me as I made my escape to this very forest!” 

“A-a-attacked?” Koji sobs, imagining the poor, small creature being attacked. “B-b-but _w-w-why_?” 

Katsuyu bows her head. “I—I apologize, child. I did not realize my fantastical tale would cause you harm.” 

Koji cries harder at that. No wonder bugs were awful! They were not only scary looking, but they were also liars!

Once he’s able to calm down, he learns that Katsuyu is not actually a bug. In fact, she takes great offence to being considered one. 

“I am _not_ an insect, child,” she explains with a huff. “I am a member of the mollusk phylum!” 

Koji has to look that word up, and he nearly throws up when he sees pictures of what family Katsuyu claims to be part of. He also learns that Katsuyu somehow has a very powerful healing Quirk. She also takes great offence to it being called a Quirk. She tells him about chakra, which he doesn’t understand much to her frustration. She does teach him some basic healing techniques, which Koji is amazed by. His hands can glow green now! He can heal small cuts and bruises! 

Katsuyu tells him he lacks the proper control to mend broken bones and stitch together large wounds, but with practice he could at least deal with large cuts and sprains. In return, Katsuyu demands that Koji brings her mushrooms, umeboshi, carrion, snails, slugs, and earthworms. Koji feels nauseous at the thought of having to interact with other bugs (and he actually bursts into tears when learns what carrion is), so he sticks with strictly feeding her mushrooms, and if he can get his hands on it, umeboshi. He doesn’t understand how Katsuyu is capable of eating umeboshi given its high salt content, but he’s too scared to ask. 

As Koji makes his way to the forest to see Katsuyu, he thinks about how much he wishes he was more like the slug. It was an odd thought to have, sure, but the slug has no trouble speaking her mind. Meanwhile, he feels his skin crawl at the mere thought of having to be assertive. If he were more like Katsuyu, could he have told Aizawa that he didn’t feel comfortable delivering anything to his very violent and very scary classmate?

“Ah, Koji,” Katsuyu says, slinking out of the small tree hollow that she’s taken up as residence. “Welcome! Ah, my favourite umebos—child, what it is now? Are you injured?” 

Oh, he's crying. “I—I have to deliver something to my classmate.” 

“And?” 

“And—and she’s _violent_!” 

If Katsuyu were capable of rolling her eyes (does she even have eyes?) he thinks she would be rolling them now.

“And?” 

“And—and she punched my classmate right out of our classroom window!” After a beat he adds, “We were on the third floor!” 

Katsuyu sighs. “Child, you’re going to become a ninja, aren’t you?” 

Koji blinks. “No?” 

“I mean a hero! And don’t interrupt me! ” Katsuyu cries. “Anyway, I’ve lived on this damned planet for centuries, and let me tell you: you humans are conditioned to commit violent acts against one another. It’s in your nature. You’ll need to get over that sooner rather than later.”

“B-but I hate it! I hate violence!” 

“You hate it because you’ve only seen it when it causes others harm,” Katsuyu corrects, voice oddly gentle. “Sometimes you need it to protect your precious people. Sometimes you need it for those who cannot protect themselves. In those cases, you must never feel ashamed of it, child." 

Koji thinks about Midoriya, who earlier today was almost attacked by Bakugou. He thinks about the fury in Watanabe’s eyes while that happened. He thinks about the way Midoriya trembled when Bakugou rounded on him. 

“Y-you’re right!” Koji cries out. “I gotta go, Katsuyu-sama! Thanks!” 

“What a strange child,” Katsuyu murmurs, slinking back into her tree hollow. She stops and whips her head back to face Koji’s retreating figure. “Wait, boy! My umeboshi!” 

He arrives at Watanabe’s house slightly out of breath. It takes three knocks for her to open the door.

“Oh, hello,” she says. 

Koji thrusts forward the folder. When she takes it he almost considers making a break for it. 

“Oh!” Watanabe says. “I need to sign these right? Aizawa-sensei mentioned someone from our class would bring it over. You’re Koda, right? Please come inside.” 

She leads him to her living room, where she sets the folder down on the coffee table. She takes a seat on one end of the couch, and Koji takes his seat on the other. 

“Let me grab you some tea,” she says, and before Koji can politely decline she sets off to her kitchen. 

He looks around her house. He notes some photos of Watanabe, much younger, posing next to a serious-looking woman with red hair and a playful looking woman with blue hair. There’s also some photos of her and Midoriya as children. 

“Here,” Koji blinks and there’s suddenly a teacup in front of him. “It’s jasmine. Hope that’s alright?” 

He nods and accepts the tea. He takes a small sip, and the sweet taste of Jasmine rolls on his tongue. It’s really good. 

“So, I’ll just sign these and you can be on your way,” she says, setting her own cup of tea next to the folder. “Thanks again for doing this, Koda! I appreciate it.” 

He nods at her. 

She leaves through the documents and reviews them with considerable caution. When Koji got his form, he just quickly looked for where he needed to sign. Watanabe was looking at the forms as if she was about to sign her life away. Oh no, did he sign his life away? His thoughts get interrupted by the sudden sound of— _K-pop? I_ s that a K-pop song? 

“Sorry,” she says, pulling her phone out of her pocket and answering. She’s silent for a long time as she listens to whoever is on the other line. Koji can’t hear what exactly they’re saying, but whatever it is, they’re saying it very quickly. “Zuzu,” she finally says with a slight huff. “Look, I won’t apologize, but I promise I won’t—alright, I _swear_ I won’t hit him again, you happy? Next time _you’ll_ be the one hitting him, ‘kay?” A pause. “Uh-huh, sure, sure. I’ll see you tomorrow when you’re done with classes, 'kay? Ah, no? How about Thursday? Cool. See you then. Love you!” 

Koji’s initial theory is verified with that one phone call. Watanabe isn’t violent, nor is she unhinged. 

_“You’re the famous Kacchan,”_ she said at the time. 

His classmates initially brush aside the two boy’s antics as them being childhood rivals. Even Koji believes the same at first. Someone did mention that they went to the same middle school, after all. Now looking back at it, there was no question about the truth of the matter.

“I’m—I’m sorry!” Koji blurts out. 

Watanabe blinks up at him. “For what?” 

“I passed judgement on you too quickly,” he admits, staring down at his teacup. “I thought you were just violent. I didn’t realize….I didn’t realize you were protecting Midoriya! I’m really sorry!” 

There’s a long silence until Watanabe squeals. It’s high-pitched and makes Koda jump a little in surprise. “Ah! Koda, can I give you a hug? Please?”

_“Wha—what?!”_

She’s hiding her face in her hands. “You’re just super cute, Koda! Please?” 

“W-w-what?” Koji feels his face burning. “C-c-cute? _M-me_?” 

“You’re like a giant teddy bear,” she gushes. After a moment, she coughs into her hands, her cheeks tinge with red. “S-sorry! I’ve been told I can be a bit, um, overbearing? I hope I didn’t make you feel uncomfortable— _whoa!_ Koda, are you alright?” 

Ah, he’s crying again, but he can’t help it. For the second time that day he feels seen.

* * *

_“Sakura,”_ Aoi says, and Sakura can hear her breathing hard through her nose. _“I thought you were the smart one here.”_

“Auntie,” Sakura snaps back, “ _I am._ That—that _thing_ is haunted! I can’t go alone, otherwise it will attack me!” 

_“It’s a_ tree _, you dumbass!”_

“A _haunted_ tree!” 

Sakura does not visit her dad’s grave as much as she should. Her mother visits at least once a month, but whenever she does go her schedule never lines up with Sakura's. And Sakura, well, she does not want to visit his grave alone because she’s convinced the weeping willow her mother planted next to his grave is haunted. Whenever she’s alone, the damn thing always smacks her. It doesn’t matter if there’s no wind blowing through the air, or how far away she stands from it, she always gets smacked in the face by it. 

She figures since she’s already completed her assignments in record time and has no classes as a result of her week-long suspension, she should take the opportunity to go visit her dad's grave and share what’s been happening with her for the past few months. She reaches the cemetery's entrance before she remembers the reason why she doesn’t visit his grave alone, and in a panic she calls Aoi. 

_“Shit, kid,”_ Aoi says. _“Look, I’d go, I really would, but they’ve got me tied up here at work. I won’t be out of here until real late. Do you absolutely need to go right now?”_ She pauses. “ _Wait, you little shit it’s, like, almost noon right now! Don’t you have school?”_

“Oh right, I forgot to tell you,” she says. “Um, I’ve been suspended.” 

_“Sakura, school just started! What the hell?”_

“I know, I know,” she says. “I met Kacchan.” 

_“Oh hell yes!”_ Aoi shrieks. _“That’s my girl! Did you kick his ass? Is he dead? Did you kill him?”_

“I broke his nose, jaw, and a rib!” 

_“Hell yeah!”_ A pause. _“Shit, is Akane pissed?”_

Sakura groans. “Yeah, I’m grounded for a week. It’s bullshit though! We all know he deserves it.” 

_“You know Akane’s a stickler for the rules,”_ Aoi says. “ _Wait, are you sneaking out right now? That’s great kid, but c'mon! Next time try to go to a mall or a movie or something normal, not your dad’s grave.”_

“But I haven’t visited him much these past few months, so I have a lot to tell him!" 

_“Well, are you almost there?”_

“I’m waiting outside the cemetery.” 

_“Just go in, and if the tree attacks you, film it for me?”_

“Auntie!” 

_“Look,”_ Aoi says. _“It’s day-time, I doubt a haunted tree will come for you. And if it does, who cares? You’re training to become a weapon of mass destruction, woman up a little bit!”_

“You’re right!” Sakura cries. “I’m not a kid anymore! If that tree hits me, I’ll smash it to smithereens!” 

_“Your mom planted that tree, so that would actually break her heart,”_ Aoi reminds her. _“Plus that’s destruction of private property and Akane would happily be the one to ensure you get a harsh sentence over it.”_

“R-right,” Sakura says. “Alright, I’ll, uh, I don’t know. Maybe I should just go to a mall instead?” 

_“That’s my girl,”_ Aoi says. _“I’ll come with you another time to visit your dad. Sounds good?”_

“Sounds good,” she echoes. “Talk soon. Love you!”

She puts her phone away and stares at the cemetery before her. It's just a tree. She could hypothetically stand her ground without destroying, right? It could be like a chakra exercise. Plus, she came all the way here with his favourite flowers, amaryllis. She couldn't go back now, could she? 

Steeling herself, Sakura makes her way into the cemetery and towards her father’s stone monument. She cleans the monument, and then sets down the flowers atop it. 

“Hey dad,” she starts, weary eyes trained on weeping willow slumping over his grave. Its branches are a few inches away from her face. “I almost got expelled. You remember Zuzu’s evil best-friend-turned-bully? I punched him in the face, it was great.” 

She looks up at the tree, sees that it’s not reaching out to attack her, and continues. “Um, I’ve been doing OK. Mom’s been working a lot lately, I don’t really see her much. I miss her, y’know?” Sakura sighs. “She’s doing good work though. Oh! I got into U.A! It was pretty easy. I’ve also been training a lot with sensei. You remember her, right? I can fix bones again now! Sensei says I can probably be her successor, but I don’t know if I just want—” 

The tree smacks her in the face.

“ _Dad_! Tell your ghost tree to—” 

_“Everyone thought it was a kekkei genkai,”_ a voice echoes. _“But grandfather just had unmatched chakra control. All he did was mix earth and water. You can use both earth and water, right? Plus you’ve got better control than me. You think you can try it out, Sakura?”_

Sakura sinks to the ground. 

_Inner,_ she thinks, _what the hell was that?_

She’s met with silence. 

The tree thumps her again and this time it actually grabs her hair along with it. She is dragged up to her feet. This time she’s going to punch it into smithereens, her mom be damned—

“You good, kid?” There’s a man standing behind her. Sakura tries to turn around and get a look at him, but her hair is firmly stuck in the damned tree’s branches. When did he get there? God, she is seriously going to throw herself into training her sensing skills because this is getting ridiculous. 

“Uh,” she flounders a bit trying to free herself. “Can you, um, help me here, Mister?” 

“You got a problem with trees, or somethin’?” He reaches over and starts to untangle her hair from the branches. Why the hell did she let it grow out so long again? It’s almost past her back now. She’s definitely going to cut it again, that is if she’s able to free it first. 

“No, they have a problem with me,” she mutters.

Suddenly his hands stop moving. “Kid, you’re stuck.” 

“What do you mean I’m stuck?” 

“I mean unless you got some scissors, you ain’t getting out.” 

There’s a tense silence. 

“Mister,” she says, voice shrill, “I don’t have any scissors.” 

“Shit, looks like you’re outta luck,” he says. “Anyway, see ya.” 

The bastard actually starts to walk away until she screams after him.

“Alright, I’ll help ya,” he says, and there’s a quality to his voice that Sakura does not like at all. “Ya might not like what I’m about to do.”

“Please just get me out.” 

“Alright, ya said it,” he says. Sakura feels something hot near her head and smells something burning. It takes her a moment to realize it’s the smell of burning hair. Her _hair_. _He’s burning her hair._

“What are you doing!?” 

“Hey, stop squirming for a second, I ain’t gonna burn ya,” he has the audacity to say. 

“You—you’re _setting my hair on fire_!”

“Stop screamin’!” He snaps. “I’m gettin’ ya free, kid!” 

Sakura scrambles away the moment her hair is no longer attached to the tree branch. She runs her hands through it and notes it no longer runs down her back, but now ends right at her neck. Her ends feel crispy, too. 

“What the hell?!” 

The man’s watching her with an amused look in his eye. He looks to be a few years older than her, with turquoise eyes and spiky, black hair. His skin takes Sakura by surprise, though. He’s got small patches of healthy skin stapled together with gnarly, wrinkled patches of purple skin that covers much of his lower face and neck.

 _Are those burn marks?_ Sakura wonders. _Maybe self-inflicted? He seems to be a fire-user. Does he have issues controlling it?_

“I got ya free, didn’t I? That’s all the thanks I get?” he says. “Anyway, what’re ya doin’ here? Don’tcha got school or somethin’, kid?” 

“I’m visiting my dad,” she says, gesturing to the stone monument. 

“Huh,” he says, a faraway look in his eyes. “Must be nice.” 

Another silence follows and Sakura stares at the man unsure of what to say in response. Eventually she decides to ask, “Who're you visiting, Mister?” 

The man looks past her, eyes on a large, beautifully crafted stone moment a few feet away from them. He regards it for a long moment before speaking. “Not visitin’ anyone per se,” he says, finally. “More like remindin’ myself of somethin’.” 

“Um, are you a ghost, Mister?” 

The man laughs, it’s a sharp and almost feral kind of laugh. He doubles over suddenly, his laughter shifting into wet coughs slick with blood. She takes a step towards him, chakra already being called into her hands, but he staggers away from her.

“I can, uh, heal that for you, Mister,” she offers.

When his coughing fit ends, he looks at her for a moment before saying, “Full offense, kid, but I doubt ya can do much for me.” 

“No, seriously!” she takes another step towards him, and he takes a step back. “I think you have a punctured lung!” 

He blinks at her. “How’d ya know that?” 

“It’s pretty obvious! Let me heal it, please!” 

When he offers no response, she takes another step forward until she’s close enough to hover a hand over his chest. He eyes her warily, but thankfully makes no move to remove her hand. Scanning his chest quickly she finds three broken ribs and a punctured lung. 

It takes about an hour and half to fully heal his ribs and lung. Mending bones isn't too much of a challenge for her anymore, but internal tissue, especially lung tissue, is always difficult. 

“How the hell were you moving around?” Sakura wonders aloud when she’s finished healing him. “Cough once for me.” 

He rolls his eyes at her, but coughs into his hand. “Huh,” he says, and he has the nerve to blink in surprise. “You ain’t half bad, kid.” 

“Your ribs are completely healed, but your lung is going to need a little more time to fully heal,” she instructs with a scowl. “And my name’s Sakura!” 

“Sakura?” he snorts, eying her hair. “Real creative.” 

“Shut up!”

“You know, you should be a little more guarded, kid.” 

“Huh? Why?” 

“I could be a murderer,” he says with a smile that has a little too much teeth. “You always helpin’ complete strangers for free?” 

“Well, I’m healer, that’s what I’m supposed to do!” she retorts. “Plus, you helped me out there, even if you burned my hair. And if you tell me your name, you won’t be a stranger.” 

"That's private," he sniffs. 

"Lucky for you we have doctor-patient confidentiality."

“Doubt a shrimp like you can be a doctor,” he says. “You’re, what? Sixteen at most?” 

“Fifteen,” she corrects. 

He levels an incredulous stare at her. “What did I _just_ say about bein’ more guarded, kid? You a dumbass, or somethin’?” 

_He does have a point,_ Sakura thinks. She ducks her head, feeling thoroughly chastised. 

After a beat, he sighs tiredly. “I owe you one.” 

“What?” 

“A favour,” he adds. “I could count freein’ ya from that tree as my favour, but I’m feelin’ a little charitable today. Let me know when ya want to collect.” 

“But I don’t even know—” Sakura stops when she realizes he’s already gone. Maybe he really is a ghost. “How the hell am I going to collect?! I don’t even know your name!” 

With an indignant squawk, she starts to make her way back home. As she makes her way, her hands find her hair. She plays with it her entire walk home. She is still scared to see what it looks like (if she has charred ends, she's going to kill that guy), but somehow the length just feels right. 

When she gets home she finds her ends are uneven and charred. Aoi has to come over that night to fix it for her.

“The tree did this,” she tells her sourly. 

“Your dad’s tree _burned_ your hair?” Aoi asks. 

Well, technically a zombie-looking ghost man did this, but she doesn’t want her aunt to worry.

“Yes,” Sakura lies. 

“You on something right now? Is it acid?” 

It takes Sakura half the night to convince her aunt that no, she was not taking acid. At least she now has a nice bob thanks to Aoi. 

Still, she’s going to kill that guy the next time she sees him. 

  
  
  
  


On the third day of her suspension, Sakura sneaks out again. Then again, with her mother working late most of the time this week, she really couldn’t call it sneaking out. Aoi is still proud of her regardless. She even cried when Sakura called her earlier to let her know about her plans to go out for bubble tea with a classmate of hers. 

She spots Koji easily inside the small bubble tea shop near their houses. When he manages to stutter out that he likes her new haircut, she has to physically restrain herself from squealing and hugging him. While they've become fast friends since their first meeting, he’s still not too comfortable being touched. This proves to be a challenge because he’s possibly the most adorable person Sakura’s ever met. She just wants to pinch his cheeks and give him a hug. He’s like a giant rabbit! He’s equally as skittish as one, too. He nearly ran away from her when she first insisted he call her Sakura. 

Koji gets her up to speed about what she’s missed in class. Koji and Izuku have been graciously sharing their notes with her, not that Sakura needs them. Their classwork and homework is ridiculously easy. Each time her teachers email her an assignment, she emails back the completed assignment within five or ten minutes. It’s become a little game for her. So far she’s gotten full marks on everything. 

“How’s Izuku doing?” she asks, taking a sip of her bubble tea. 

“Midoriya?” Koda says, voice below a whisper. “He’s doing alright. People have stopped asking him about The Punch. And if they try to, Uraraka and Iida stop them.” 

She chews on a tapioca ball. “The punch?” 

“That’s what everyone is calling the incident between you and Bakugou.” 

Before Sakura can say anything, a boy with the head of a black bird approaches their table. Sakura feels her brain breaking a little at the sight of him. It was like the damn Washing Machine Hero all over again. Is he like Principal Nezu? No, he has the body of a teen boy. 

_Inner? You there? Please help me,_ she thinks, a touch of desperation bleeding into her thoughts. 

“I….I have no answers for you,” Inner replies. “This is something for you to research.” 

_Great help you are,_ she thinks, frowning. 

“I see you have befriended the creature of chaos,” he says, nodding to Koda. 

Sakura blinks. “What?”

“You caused great chaos in our class due to your assault of Bakugou,” the boy explains. “However, now they are coming to realize the truth behind your valiant actions.”

She doesn’t know whether to be flattered or offended. She settles on being confused. _“What?”_

“W—Sakura,” Koda cuts in gently. “This is Tokoyami.” 

“Greetings,” Tokoyami says. 

“Uh, hi?” 

“I must be on my way,” Tokoyami says suddenly. “I will see you later, Koda. Watanabe.” 

“Um, bye?” Sakura watches Tokoyami's retreating figure. “Is he….is he always like that?” 

Koji nods, a soft smile on his face. “It takes some time to understand Tokoyami, but he’s kind.” 

She has to wonder if maybe Koji's Quirk is involved in how quickly he's come to like (and understand) the bird boy. Regardless, if Koji likes the guy he can’t be half bad, she decides. 

“What did he mean by chaos?” 

“Um,” Koji looks down at his bubble tea. “Everyone was kind of divided about The Punch.” 

"“Divided?”

“Yeah, a lot of people didn’t know what to make of it,” Koji explains. “I think they—they um, thought, like I did, that you were a little scary. But they’re realizing now you were protecting Midoriya.”

* * *

His classmates are being nice to him and Izuku does not know what to do. He wants to ask Sakura what to do, but each time he calls her it goes straight to her voicemail (she’s probably sleeping, now that he thinks about it.) He wants to ask All-Might for advice, but he’s busy with class (and now that he thinks about it, he shouldn’t bother All-Might of all people with someone so…..minor.) He can’t call his mom because, well, he hasn’t brought up the whole Katsuki situation with her ever since it first became a situation. 

His classmates are nice to him and they avoid Katsuki. Ever since he exploded on Kirishima they’ve started to look at him like he’s, well, a bully. Since then, his classmates don’t greet him in the mornings. They don’t group up with him during group exercises. They just try to pretend he isn’t there. 

It feels nostalgic in the worst ways possible because that’s supposed to be Izuku wasn’t it? For years it was Izuku who was the person to avoid because he's useless Deku. To see the same happening to Katsuki is, well, _jarring_. He does not know what to do. 

His feet take him to Shuzenji’s infirmary. When he walks in, the first thing he notices is a chalkboard with the words: “It’s been 5 days since a student from Class 1-A has nearly died.” 

“That’s….new, sensei,” he remarks. 

Shuzenji hums. “What can I do for you, my boy?” 

“I—uh,” his eyes land on a box of bunny-shaped bandages. “I need a bandage!” 

Shuzenji hands him the entire box. “That all?” 

“I just—well, um,” he hands her back the box, avoiding her eyes. “Actually, I don’t need any bandages. Um, I don’t mean to bother you or anything, b-but All-Might is, y’know, in class right now and, um, Sacchan’s suspended so she’s probably napping right now and—”

“Izuku,” she says, voice gentle. “You’re never a bother to me, not ever. Take a deep breath and tell me what’s on your mind, my boy.” 

He looks up and sees Shuzenji’s gentle eyes and he feels like he doesn't deserve this, doesn't deserve to waste her time with something so stupid. But she just tells him again to take a deep breath, and this time he does. He stares down at his shoes as he wills himself to form a coherent sentence. He wonders if it’s too late to tell her that he’s fine and head back to the cafeteria to go find Uraraka and Iida and pretend like everything's fine. But then Shuzenji gives him a gentle smile, takes one of his hands into hers, and Izuku bursts like a dam. 

Shuzenji listens and squeezes his hand here and there while he tells her, well, _everything._ When he finishes, he can’t make himself look at her so he still keeps his eyes on on his shoes. 

“Izuku,” Shuzenji says after a beat, “It’s not your fault.” 

He feels tears welling in his eyes. “Huh?” 

“It’s not your fault,” Shuzenji repeats. “Also, you’re going look in the mirror every morning and say that you love yourself and you are strong ten times.” 

“W-what?”

“Do it right now,” she says, taking him by the arm and steering him to the infirmary’s small washroom. “Look at the mirror and say you love yourself, and that you are strong.” 

He stares at her. 

She stares back at him. 

“I—I can’t!” he blurts out. “It’s embarrassing.” 

Shuzenji grabs onto his cheeks and pulls. “I love myself,” she says, a menacing quality to her voice. 

“I love myself,” he manages to garble out. 

“I am strong,” she says.

“I am strong,” he repeats. 

She releases his cheeks. “Again!”

“I—I love myself, a-and—and I’m strong!” 

“Again!” 

“I l-love myself and I’m s-strong!” 

“Again!” 

He does it and again until Shuzenji is satisfied. 

“You have many people who care deeply for you, my child,” Shuzenji tells him, patting him on the back. “But even without us, you need to know that you are worthy of love, that you matter, and that your presence here is important. With or without One for All.” 

A sob escapes Izuku and he feels his face go bright red in embarrassment, but Shuzenji just smiles at him again and continues to pat his back.

“Also, Izuku,” she says, handing him a candy from her coat when he finally calms down. “You should talk to your homeroom teacher.” 

“N-No, it’s alright,” he says a little too quickly. 

Shuzenji chuckles. “Let me tell you a secret: he’s actually a big softie.” 

Izuku tries to imagine scraggly, scary, and harsh Aizawa as being soft and his brain breaks a little at the thought. 

“I’m serious,” Shuzenji says. “He’ll want to help, he just needs to know how. I know you’ve dealt with poor excuses of teachers in the past, but I assure Shota isn’t one of them. Just give him a chance, for me, will you?” 

“I’ll, um, try,” Izuku mumbles. 

“Plus,” Shuzenji adds. “You might not have to deal with Bakugou for much longer, from what I hear.” 

“Wha _—_ what? What do you mean?”

“If the rumour mill is right, he may be expelled once U.A is finished investigating that middle school of yours,” Shuzenji explains. “There’s a zero tolerance policy about bullying—” 

But Izuku’s out the door before he can hear the rest of what she’s saying. 

* * *

Shota can admit that he's a little horrified to have failed to see the logical conclusion in the situation between Midoriya and Bakugou. It’s quite obviously a textbook situation of bully and victim. At least that middle school of theirs would be no more. Once Nezu gets a whiff of misconduct and discriminatory behaviour taking place somewhere (much less a _school_ of all places), it takes him no time to shut it down. How Nezu manages to get the school’s old surveillance tapes in less than 48 hours, Shota does not know (or want to know, really.) But between the tapes and incident reports, at the bare minimum there’s enough to fire most of the faculty of that school. 

He still needs to figure out how to handle Bakugou. The boy is a human bomb, in more ways than one. He’s still a little astonished at how much stuff that school allowed him to get away with.

 _No, not allowed,_ he thinks. _They enabled his behaviour, and encouraged it even._

It was no wonder Watanabe acted as violently as she did when she met the boy. Now, how Midoriya kept the two apart for that many years, Shota really wants to know (how Nezu finds this information out, Shota does not want to know, ever). At least it doesn't lessen her suspension ("Rules are still rules," Nezu says).

Shota sighs, running a hand through his hair as he makes his way to his office. Then there’s the situation about Midoriya’s Quirk and his relationship with All-Might. There is definitely something going on there, and he’s a little annoyed that All-Might seems to know more about Shota’s own student than him. Shota’s shaken out of his thoughts when he sees Midoriya, who looks like he ran half-way across the school, standing outside of his office.

“Please—” Midoriya stops to take a deep breath. “P-please don’t expel Kacchan—uh, I mean Katsuki!” 

Shota stares at the boy. With a resigned sigh, he ushers him into his office. 

“Explain,” he says, once they are both seated. 

“Shuzenji-sensei said you guys might expel Kac—Katsuki,” Midoriya says, gripping the arms of his chair tightly. “Please don’t!”

“Why?”

“W-why?” Midoriya looks down at his feet. “He—he’s going to be a great hero someday. I’d hate to be the reason why he doesn’t.” 

“Midoriya,” Shota says flatly. When Midiroya flinches, he tries again, this time voice low, “Midoriya, you are not responsible for Bakugou's actions. He is responsible for his own actions.” 

Tears spill down Midoriya face.“B-but—”

“What Bakugou did to you is unacceptable,” Shota continues, holding out a box of tissues to him. “We don’t tolerate that kind of behaviour here. If he gets expelled, it’s of no fault of your own.” 

“I—I’m sorry,” He sniffles, taking a handful of tissues. “I—I’m sorry.” 

Shota’s expression softens. “I’m sorry.” 

“H-huh?” 

“I’ve been told I can be a harsh teacher,” he admits. “I am this way because most students come here without being taught about how harsh his world can be.” His eyes drift up to the ceiling as he thinks about Midoriya’s schooling experience until now. “Midoriya, you’ve already received that lesson in the worst way possible. You’ve been failed by your previous teachers, and for that I’m truly sorry.”

He looks back at Midoriya and the boy is staring at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. “T-thank you, sensei,” he manages to croak out. 

His cell rings then. Nezu’s name flashes on the screen. 

“Stay here until you’ve gathered yourself,” he says. “I’m just outside if you need anything, Midoriya.” 

He answers the phone once he’s a few feet away from his office. 

“I’m drawing up the expulsion paperwork for Bakugou,” is the first thing he tells Nezu.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sakura: i’ve only known koji for a day and a half, but if anything happened to him, i would kill everyone in this room and then myself 
> 
> katsuyu: hey child, u wanna learn how to heal?  
> koji: omg yes  
> katsuyu: bring me the the decaying flesh of dead animals, slugs, or earthworms  
> koji:  
> katsuyu:  
> katsuyu: ok, ok shit, uh, bring me umeboshi or mushrooms 
> 
> am i missing anything, or did u.a/society really just accept that midoriya got a quirk outta nowhere at the age of 14? and they just rolled with it????


	4. manus multae cor unum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Many hands, one heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FIRST THINGS FIRST LOOK AT  
> [ THIS AMAZING IMAGE OF KOJI AND SAKURA GETTING BUBBLE TEA ](https://ladyofthecoven.tumblr.com/post/616945266780667904/koji-and-sakura-bubble-tea)THAT [SEALEDELIXIR ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sealedelixir/pseuds/sealedelixir) MADE. SAKURA’S ENDS ARE EVEN CHARRED. AMAZING!!!! 
> 
> also chapter warning: some implied intimate partner violence & self-harm in this chapter!

Between running Japan’s top hero school and collecting classified secrets about, well, almost everything, Nezu also manages to find the time to dabble in analyzing the development of villains. It’s fascinating stuff. His favourite kind of villain to explore are those who are completely unaware of their villainy. He supposes it’s because that’s the very first kind of villain he’s met, what with those humans that experimented on him for the sake of science. He finds that this type of villain is usually an individual that lacks control in their life and seeks to find it in the domination of those that they see as weak. This is a trait he finds in a lot of the humans he's interacted with over the years. For such supposedly intelligent creatures, he wonders why many of them fall victim to such a very primal urge. 

When he looks at Bakugou, a boy with a track record of harassment, bullying, an obsessive need to win at all times, he sees the making of this very type of villain. Then, when Aizawa tells him he’s drafting the boy’s expulsion papers, Nezu wonders if it will become the necessary catalyst for Bakugou to embark on a path of villainy. One could say that the boy's already half-way there with his warped sense of justice. 

Knitting his paws together above his lap, Nezu thinks long and hard about the boy’s journey so far.

No, the boy would not become a villain, he decides. If he gets expelled from U.A, he would work harder at trying to find another way to become a hero. 

_Villains never win,_ he remembers the boy writing as his answer to the written exam’s reflective essay portion. The question had asked for students to discuss one hero that inspires them (Pro-Hero or otherwise). _When I become a hero,_ he wrote, _I’ll be like All-Might and ensure that villains never will._

He wonders how Bakugou is able to see a winner in Yagi, whereas most see sacrifice, selflessness—or in Nezu’s eyes, a desperate need for self-validation (the man is getting better about it now, and it's perhaps due to that successor of his who shares a similar self-destructive selfleness).

Nezu thinks about what may happen if he allows Bakugou to stay here, if he actually grants the boy the leniency Midoriya had asked from Aizawa. His thoughts, oddly enough, go to the Number Two Hero. Nezu wonders what’s become of a man. Has he channeled his need to win at all times into something more productive? He would like to hope so, but then he remembers the man’s marriage to a woman with an Ice Quirk. When is the last time she was seen in public? And young Todoroki, where did he get that burn scar—Nezu stops there and files the line of thinking for something to be revisited later because, well, even with as little information as he might have about _that_ situation, isn’t it starting to shape into quite the disturbing picture, hm? 

If Bakugou continues on this course, would he become someone like Endeavour? 

Nezu's tail twitches. 

He calls Aizawa and gives him the following instructions: bring him the completed expulsion papers, and then tell Bakugou to go to his office. A few moments later, Nezu’s got the expulsion papers in his hands and Bakugou is taking a seat in the empty chair in front of him. For a solid minute, Bakugou and Nezu stare each other down.

“You’re being expelled,” Nezu tells him flatly. 

He watches as Bakugou goes through what he first thinks is the stages of grief, but then Bakugou's face only contorts into confusion, denial, and then pure anger. 

“Expelled?” Bakugou jumps to his feet, his chair almost clattering to the floor. “What the fuck are you talking about, you rat?!” 

“We have a zero tolerance policy regarding bullying.” 

“I didn’t do shit to anyone!” The _yet_ in that statement goes unsaid, but is heard all the same. 

“This is not Aldera Middle,” he tells him. “We do not accept that kind of behaviour. Your classmates are your peers. Not your competition, and certainly not beneath you. They are your peers, your _comrades._ ” 

“Was it Deku? _Fucking Deku!_ Did he put you up to this—!” 

Nezu starts reading out Aizawa’s expulsion papers to him.

 _Bakugou Katsuki,_ it begins, _is unsuited to be a student at U.A. This is following an investigation into his past experiences at Aldera Middle School. Bakugou is a crude, arrogant, short-tempered, and aggressive person. To be frank, he comes downright villainous at times. He has consistently caused emotional, physical, and verbal harm towards his peers. He—_

“This is bullshit!” 

“When was the last time you helped someone?” Nezu asks, looking up from the papers. “I can list here each and every single time you’ve caused harm to your peers, Bakugou. But I can’t find anything that shows me you’d be willing to help them.” 

Bakugou goes quiet. 

“You know,” Nezu says, “despite all of this, Midoriya insisted that you not be expelled.” 

“I don’t need Deku’s fucking hel—!” 

“You’re being expelled,” he repeats, and Bakugou goes quiet again. “Or, if you’re willing to attend anger management classes and personal sessions with me, you can instead be transferred to Shiketsu.” 

Many like to say Shiketsu is U.A’s Western equivalent, which Nezu always finds a little funny. Never mind the fact that U.A alumni overwhelmingly take up the top ten Pro-Heroes ranking. The most promising come to U.A to shine, after all. But no matter how many curriculum changes Nezu makes, no matter how many changes he makes to the entrance exam, and no matter who he adds to the school’s faculty, the one thing that Shiketsu holds over U.A is their ability to impart on their students the core values behind being a hero. That, and that alone, is why Nezu doesn't challenge people calling the school U.A.'s Western equivalent. 

It frustrates Nezu to no end that while U.A alumni become some of the world’s most powerful heroes, it’s always Shiketsu alumni that become the heroes known for their hearts. 

_Maybe,_ he thinks absently, _I’ll change our motto._

U.A could train kids like Bakugou to become strong heroes. Hell, Nezu could easily see Bakugou as the Number One Pro-Hero in the next few years. What U.A could not teach him is how to _be_ a hero. 

“This is your one and only chance,” Nezu smiles, all teeth. “Don’t screw this up.” 

* * *

On Sakura’s final day of her suspension, she has Izuku meet at the pond near his house once he’s let out of school. Inner’s been bugging her the past week to learn how to water walk, and to teach Izuku how to mediate— _again_. Why the sudden urgency to do so now, Sakura does not know, and, of course, Inner offers no answers. 

When Izuku finally arrives, she can tell he's been crying.

“What’s wrong?” 

He doesn’t meet her eyes. “Nothing."

“Izuku.” 

“I’m….I’m worried about Ka—Katsuki,” he mumbles to the grass below him. “Aizawa-sensei told him to go see the principal today, and he didn’t come back to class after that. I....I think they expelled him.” 

Sakura bites the inside of her cheek. She almost says, _yeah, well, here’s hoping that bastard got expelled._ But knowing Izuku, that comment would not be appreciated. With a weary sigh she instead says, “If they’ve expelled him, it’s not your fault.” 

Izuku looks up at her, his eyes already starting to water. “But—but Kacchan’s supposed to become a great hero someday! I—I can’t take that away from him.” 

“You aren’t taking that away from him, Izuku,” she says, placing a hand on his shoulder. “What he did was his choice, not yours. You aren’t at fault here.” 

“You—you kinda sound like Aizawa-sensei.” 

“What?" Sakura frowns. "That’s…..that’s _so_ mean, Zuzu.” 

“No! I don’t mean that in a mean way! Aizawa-sensei is actually really nice!”

“Uh-huh,” Sakura says, with a snort. “Anyway, you good?” 

“I—I will be. I think.” 

“Good.” 

“So, what are we doing here?” Izuku’s eyes start to get their shine back when he adds, “Quirk training?” 

“Yeah, I’m going to walk on water.”

“You’re going to walk on water,” he repeats, and in a flash he’s pulling out his Hero Analysis for the Future notebook. “Of course! Your Quirk already emits a constant repellent force from the bottom of your feet in order for you to walk atop most surfaces, but—”

“Zuzu.” 

“—I never considered that you could apply this to liquid surfaces, too. This may be more difficult to master, but not impossible.” He scribbles something into his notebook. “You would need to adjust the amount of repellant force being emitted because—”

“Izuku.” 

“—of the surface. If adjusted correctly, hypothetically you could also run or skate on these surfaces, too.” 

“Are you done?” 

“Huh? Oh, um, did I say that out loud?” 

Sakura laughs as she makes her way to the pond. Channeling her chakra to her feet, she takes a hesitant step onto the surface of the water. When she doesn't fall into the water, she keeps taking more steps until she’s standing in the middle of the pond.

“Oh,” she murmurs. “That was so easy.”

 _Is it supposed to be this easy, Inner?_ Sakura wonders. _You said I don’t have control like I did in the Before._

Inner offers her no answer. Typical. 

“Awesome!” Izuku cries from the shoreline of the pond, waving wildly at her. “That’s amazing, Sacchan!” 

Sakura beams back at him. 

“Tell him to meditate,” Inner says as she starts to make her way back to Izuku. 

_Oh, now you wanna talk, huh?_ Sakura frowns. _Why now?_

Sakura expects no answer, so when Inner replies she nearly stumbles over her feet. “It’s different now, he has more chakra.” 

_Right._

“Hey, Zu, let’s meditate!” 

They find a soft patch of grass and sit across from each other, legs crossed, and holding hands. “Feel what I’m doing and try to replicate it,” she says, challenging a bit of probing chakra into him. 

“Whoa!” Izuku jumps at the sudden contact. “That’s new, Sacchan! What are you doing?” 

“Close your eyes,” she tells him, guiding her chakra to the large pool of his reverses. “You feel the way this ebbs and flows, right?” 

“Right.” 

“Try to pull it throughout your body," she says. "Slowly, and piece by piece, alright?” 

Izuku focuses on the strange sensation. Soon after, he’s channeling chakra throughout his body. Sakura peels her chakra away from him and watches him with a fierce sense of pride overcoming her. He’s able to meditate for about fifteen minutes. He looks only a bit winded when his eyes snap open.

“That was _so_ weird,” he murmurs, and from the look in his eyes she can already see the gears shifting in his mind. “How did you even know how to do that? I mean, you do also have something of a stockpile Quirk, too. Is this another way of training it? Man, I have to talk to All-Might! I wonder if he—” 

Sakura rolls her eyes. “Izuku.” 

“Huh?” Izuku blinks. “Oh, oops!” 

“Let’s try something else,” she says, rising to her feet and making her way over to an oak tree. Izuku follows after her. “That same feeling of channeling that chakra through your body, try to now channel it into your feet.”

“You mean that energy from One for All?” 

Sakura sighs tiredly. Someday she’d be able to explain it to him. Not today, but someday. “Sure.”

Izuku closes his eyes, takes a deep breath, and lifts his foot up to the tree. His chakra, which is _green_ , starts to spark out around his raised foot. When he presses it to the tree, it explodes. They both get covered in thousands of small, very painful wood splinters. 

“Man, _fuck_ trees,” Sakura mutters under her breath, raising her hands and channelling chakra into them. 

* * *

Camie is fourteen going on fifteen and she’s having a mild crisis. Here’s the deal: she’s trying to find the man of her dreams, and it's becoming something harder that is than actually getting into Shiketsu. OK so, like, Shiketsu wasn’t all that too hard for her to get into, but still! And also, if she could just veer off course for a second, why the hell are people so shocked that _she_ got it into the school? Rude, much? But anyway, back to her mild crisis. Where does she even start? Well, alright, so it’s a mild crisis because her school is actually pretty nice. Her uniform is pretty cute. Like, she gets a cute hat. Goodbye bad hair days!

Her teachers are pretty nice, too. Take her home room teacher, for example. At first everyone, even her, are all really scared of him because his eyes are constantly bulging out. Like, what’s going on, man? What are you _seeing_? But he’s really nice, really smart, and gives them life advice that self-help gurus wish they could dish out. Anyway, the teachers aren’t the issue plus, like, gross she’d never date a teacher. No way. The problem is her _classmates_! Each time she thinks that she’s found her first boyfriend, something happens. 

Take the tall, dark-haired guy with a buzzcut—Yoarashi—for instance. She spent twenty minutes hitting on him only to be told by him that she has “great interaction techniques.” Like _what_? Also, after speaking with him for that long she’s come to learn that loud, brash guys are totally not her type. Which is totally tragic because his body? God, _totally_ her type. 

Anyway, the next guy in her class to talk to her—Mora—is literally covered in hairs, but it's fine because his hair is totally amazing! Not a split end in sight, if you can believe it. They exchange hair care routines and while Camie does not find a boyfriend in him, she thinks she’s at least found a good friend. 

Ugh, then there’s Shishikura (more like Shitshitkura. Heh.) He literally chewed her out after her failed flirting attempt with Yoarashi and told her she’s not allowed to have a boyfriend at this school. She, of course, brushed him aside. But then he pulled out the student handbook and flipped it to the page that details students are not permitted to have romantic liaisons with each other. And to think she chose Shiketsu because it’s known as the school with heart! What happened to _Manus Multae Cor Unum_? Ugh! 

So that’s Camie’s mild crisis. She’s trying to get a real cute highschool romance, y’know some real Kiss, Kiss Fall In Love kind of romance, and she’s failing miserably at it. But then— _it happens!_

Their teacher, bulging eyes and all, tells them they’ll be having a transfer student join their class. Everyone is totally shocked because, well, _huh?_ It’s the second week of school. How the hell can they already have a transfer? It’s totally suspicious. 

But those thoughts fly out of her head the moment the classroom door slides open. It’s just like all the movies and shows she’s seen: love at first friggin’ sight, man! A literal babe among men walks in, and he’s got this Don’t Mess With Me, Bitch look mixed in with a smattering of Man, Do I Have A Tragic-But-Like-Not-Dead-Parents-Tragic Background. 

Also his skin! What beautiful skin! What the hell is he using on his face? What kind of serums? Is he a sheet mask kind of guy or clay mask? Camie squints at him. Definitely sheet mask with skin as supple as that. Man, she could already imagine the lazy dates at home with the two of them just doing face masks and watching garbage TV.

Camie pokes Mora’s back with her pencil. He looks over his shoulder at her expectantly. “You need to help me seduce him,” she tells him. 

And yeah, so what that she’s known Mora for, like, a week? They exchanged curling iron tips, which is basically like taking a blood oath. They’re not just friends now, they’re _besties._

Mora’s visible eye bulges out just like their teacher. “What?” 

“You need to help me seduce him,” she repeats. “He’s, like, totally my type. Plus, you’re, like, Class Rep. It’s kinda your duty to help me.” 

“Are you hard of hearing or simply a fool?” Shishikura hisses at them. Why does he have to sit right next to her? Ugh. “Students are forbidden from having romantic liaisons with one another.” 

“Can you, like, totes stay in your lane for once in your life?” Camie hisses back. Her head snaps back up to the front when their teacher asks the beautiful, bodacious blond to introduce himself. “Wait, like shut up for a sec he’s about to speak.”

Shishikura stares disbelieving at her. “ _You’re_ the one speaki—” 

_“Shh!”_

“I’m Bakugou Katsuki.” They all wait for him to continue, but he doesn't. 

God! Deep voice _and_ he doesn’t talk much? Camie clasps her hands together and stares up at the ceiling, offering a small prayer of thanks to whatever deities can hear her. 

Her week is looking up! 

* * *

Tooru likes bright people. Aoyama is bright, in a literal sense. He can shoot lasers from his navel, and he sparkles a lot when he’s pleased. She likes him a lot. Ashido is also bright in a different way. Her personality attracts people like moths to light. She likes her a lot, too. 

(Does she actually like them, or does she want to be like them?) 

Tooru is not naturally bright. She finds she doesn’t attract much attention. She has to put in a lot of effort to ensure people can actually see her. So Tooru is bright, bubbly, and smiley. Not that anyone can see her smile, of course. She thinks—she _hopes_ —that they can feel it at least.

What people can see, like her clothes, she makes the effort to ensure it is always cute and eye-catching. Her uniform, for instance, is always perfect, not a wrinkle to be found anywhere. Her everyday clothes are always a little high fashion. Sometimes that earns her compliments, most of the time she gets stares. 

These things become something like a set of rules for her. Other rules include: when she meets new people, she’s always the first person to introduce herself. She’s never the loudest person in the room, but always a close second or third (because, well, too much attention and people didn’t like you. And she couldn’t have that, now could she?) 

She guards these rules close to her heart because she might disappear altogether if she doesn’t. It’s happened before in middle school. She had to take drastic measures than to feel like she was still there. Sometimes she still does it.

(She can see her arms and legs better when it’s painted in rich reds). 

In some ways, it’s how she’s able to pass the entrance exams after all. Invisibility can only take her so far. But invisibility, some sharp pieces of scrap metal, and an eye for the vital parts of a body—robotic or otherwise. 

(And besides, was it really a bad thing for her to know these things a little too well?) 

Sometimes, though, Tooru doesn’t want to bother. She doesn’t want to be bright, bubbly, and she certainly doesn’t want to smile. She just wants to retreat into herself.

Why does she have to try so hard when these things come so easily to everyone else? Why is it that when she doesn't try, doesn’t follow these rules she disappears altogether? It’s not fair.

Bakugou Katsuki is rude and mean, but people notice him. Even when their class started to treat him like he wasn’t there. 

(It feels familiar, but she knows it’s different). 

When Tooru thinks about it, she feels angry and tired. Then she feels a fog creeping in and she has to draw half-moons into her palms with her nails for the fog to dissipate. 

(She’s here. She’s here. She’s right here). 

On their second week of school, Bakugou doesn’t show up. Their class is curious, because, well, Bakugou’s been the first person to arrive at their class all of last week. But no one wants to ask Aizawa. He looks grumpier than usual today when he comes in. As he takes attendance, everyone leans forward in their seats waiting for Aizawa to say Bakugou’s name. Aizawa doesn’t call his name. There’s a strange silence that settles over the class as he continues on.

(He’s literally _gone_ , but he doesn’t disappear). 

Tooru’s eyes wander to the empty seat of Watanabe. Wasn’t she supposed to be coming back today, too? 

“Wata—” 

“I’m here!” Watanabe leaps out of an opened window and lands in her seat. “I’m here!” 

Aizawa stares at her for a long time. “Why,” he says flatly. 

“Why what?” Watanabe blinks. “Oh, why am I late? Recovery Girl needed me to—” 

“Next time use a door,” he cuts in, pinching the bridge of his nose. He looks up at the ceiling for a moment and briefly Tooru wonders if he’s praying, but then he quickly resumes taking attendance.

“Is _that_ why you asked me to open a window?” Midoriya whips around to hiss at her. 

She throws up a peace sign and a winning smile. “It’s faster.” 

Tooru decides that Watanabe is bright, too. In a different way. Something between Aoyama and Ashido. She likes her. 

(Does she like her?) 

Class moves quickly after that and just before English with Present Mic begins, Aizawa tells them they need to select a Class Representative. After saying this, he walks out of the room. It takes less than three seconds for their class to fall into a series of screaming matches over who should become Class Representative.

“I vote for Izuku!” The room stills to a silence for a brief second as all eyes land on Watanabe. Tooru wants to know how she’s able to have her voice cut through the chaos.

Taking advantage of the sudden silence, Iida cries out, “Good thinking! We shall select a Class Representative by way of democracy!” 

Midoriya twists around and gives her a flat look. “No.” 

“No what?” 

“I don’t want to be Class Representative.” 

“Why?” 

“I— _no_.” 

“No?”

“No.” 

A pause. “We’re voting for Iida?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I changed my vote!” Watanabe cries out. “I vote for Iida!” 

Iida looks startled, but Tooru can see he’s also secretly pleased.

“Thank you,” he says. “But we’re not doing voice votes, you’ll need to write down your vote on the papers I’ve provided you all.” 

Watanabe blinks down at the small paper on her desk. “When—when did this get here?” 

“Sometimes it’s best to not ask,” someone in the back of the classroom mutters.

Tooru fiddles with her pen. She decides then that she would vote for Iida, too. With hers, Midoriya’s, Watanabe’s and a couple other votes, he ends up becoming their Class Representative. Yaoyorozu, who Tooru thinks looks pretty reliable, is selected as their Vice-Representative. 

Once that’s been settled, Present Mic enters into their classroom, shouting about the most awesome assignment he has in store for them yet. Collectively, the class leans forward waiting with bated breath. Tooru finds herself caught up in the energy, too. Aizawa has been throwing some ordinary assignments for them for the past few days. Maybe Present Mic would assign them something out of the ordinary.

“Your assignment is…..” he trails off here, drumming his fingers on the table. He gets a little too into it, as he starts to throw in the sounds of crashing cymbals and even includes a guitar solo. “A group essay!” 

Everyone slumps back into their seats. 

“The essay needs to be English and use the past tense! And," Present Mic adds with a smile that’s a little disconcerting, "I’m picking your groups, but you can pick the topics.” 

“Oh,” someone seated behind Tooru mutters. “How kind.” 

Tooru gets paired with Watanabe, Koda, and Tokoyami.

When they’re dismissed for lunch, Watanabe stops them all and suggests that they sit together to go over essay ideas. 

“Koji and I can grab us seats,” Watanabe says, and Tooru wonders how she’s come to befriend Koda so quickly. 

Midoriya stops her before she heads out of the classroom. She tells Koda to go ahead and that she’ll catch up with him. Midoriya pulls out a bento from his bag and holds it out to her. 

Watanabe stares down at it with tears filling her eyes. “Is that—?” 

Midoriya looks tired. “Yes.” 

“I’m going to marry Auntie, I swear!” Watanabe declares suddenly, and there’s tears and—and _drool_ running down her face. 

Midoriya breathes hard through his nose. Tooru’s surprised he doesn’t go red at her statement. “Please stop saying weird things, people will misunderstand.” 

“If our love is wrong, then I—” 

_“Sacchan.”_

“Alright, alright,” she says, wiping at her eyes, and then her mouth. “Hey, can I come over for dinner today?” 

“Again?” 

“Aoi said she wanted to come over and try to make hambagu steak.” 

There’s a silence. 

“I’ll text mom and let her know you’re joining us tonight.” 

“You’re truly my hero, Zuzu.” 

“Hey, do you want to have lunch with O-Ochako, Tenya, and Tsu?” 

Watanabe wiggles her eyebrows. “Oh, first name basis already? You’re moving quickly, huh?” 

“S-Sacchan!” Midoriya’s face goes bright red as he casts a nervous glance around the room. He misses Tooru entirely. 

(She’s here. She’s here. She’s right here). 

She stops listening to their conversation and waits for them to leave before heading out herself. On her way to the cafeteria, she manages to catch a bit of gossip about her missing classmate.

“Hey, hey, you know that top rookie from this year’s first-year class?” 

“That feral guy?” 

“Yeah, I heard he got transferred to Shittyketsu.” 

Tooru stops in her tracks. 

“Shittyketsu? _Forreal?_ What’d he do?” 

“Apparently he got into it with someone and they transferred him out.” 

“That’s crazy—wait, U.A’s never transferred people out before, the hell?” 

“I know! Dunno why they didn’t expel his ass.” 

“Damn, this year’s GenEd first-years are lucky as shit. They get a free ticket to move up to the Hero Course, then.” 

“Right? Lucky bastards.” 

The two walk off, but Tooru remains rooted to her spot. That doesn’t make any sense. Why would Bakugou get transferred for _almost_ attacking Midoriya? By that logic, Watanabe should have been transferred out, or worse expelled for _actually_ attacking Bakugou. 

_Not my problem,_ Tooru thinks, as she makes her way to the cafeteria. She finds her group members easily. 

Before she can greet them Tokoyami asks, “Does anyone know where Hagakure is?” 

“I’m right here!”

Three identical shrieks echo through the cafeteria at the sound of her voice. 

(She’s here. She’s here. She’s right here). 

Koda goes bright red and mumbles something that Tooru can’t hear. Tokoyami avoids looking at her as he smooths his ruffled feathers. Watanabe, meanwhile, stares at Tooru almost as if she’s trying to decipher something. 

“Your Quirk is invisibility, right?” Tokoyami asks when she slides into the seat next to him. “Can you turn it off?” 

“Yep! Nope!” Tooru chirps. 

“That’s cool,” Watanabe says, beaming at her. “You can be like a spy or something!” 

Her smile is so bright Tooru can’t help but return it. Not that Watanabe can see it. “What about you guys?” 

Koda starts to mumble so quietly that Tooru has to lean forward to hear him, but that just makes him stop short and push his chair back with a surprised squeak. Watanabe jumps in then, explaining how Koda’s Quirk allows him to command animals. 

“Wait, Koji, can you command Tokoyami then?” Watanabe asks, and Koda actually looks offended on his behalf. 

Tokoyami, meanwhile, just looks confused. “I’m not an animal,” he says. “I am a creature of the night.” 

“But—but you’ve got the head of a bird?”

“It’s my Quirk,” he says, as if that explains anything. They all stare at him for a long moment until he breaks the sudden silence by turning towards Watanabe. “What about you, Watanabe? What’s your Quirk?”

“Uh, healing, and enhanced strength, and I can walk atop most surfaces,” she says with a shrug. 

“That’s a lot of applications for one Quirk,” Tooru says, frowning in confusion.

“I have, ah, three, y’know,” Watanabe says, taking a long sip of her drink. 

Tooru’s confusion only grows.“What?” 

“Y’know,” Watanabe says with a wave of her hand.

“We do not understand,” Tokoyami says flatly. “Explain.” 

“I have three, ah,” she frowns here, “Quirks.” 

Koda stares. Tokoyami stares. Tooru stares, but of course no one can see that. 

“What?” Watanabe has the gall to say, blinking back at them in confusion. 

“What?” Tooru leaps to her feet, slamming her hands onto the table. “Three _what_?” 

Tokoyami’s feathers ruffle. “Impossible!” 

Even Koda looks like he’s about to say something, but quickly decides against it and opts to just stare wide-eyed at Watanabe. 

Tooru rummages through her backpack and pulls out a pure steel pipe the size of her arm. How it fits into her backpack is her business. “Bend this.” 

“What?” Watanabe stares incredulously at the pipe. “Where did you get this from?” 

“If you’ve got enhanced strength,” Tooru explains, “Then you should be able to bend this in half.” 

Tokoyami nods in agreement. “Indeed.” 

Koda looks like he has a question, possibly something along the lines of _out of all the Quirks to test out, you want to try out her enhanced strength? Really?_

Watanabe picks up the pipe easily and bends it into a U-shape, and then straightens it. 

Three identical shrieks echo through the cafeteria, again, but for a different reason entirely. 

“I don’t understand!” Tooru wails, slumping back into her seat. “That—that doesn’t make any sense!” 

(If she had three Quirks, would she still be easy to forget?) 

Watanabe just shrugs.

A silence settles over them for a moment until Koda speaks up. This time he’s somewhat audible. “Should we do our essay on Quirks?”

Tooru decides she likes Koda even if he’s not bright. He’s quiet and shy, but he’s so big that it's impossible to miss him. Tokoyami isn’t bright, either. But there’s something about him that makes you want to learn more about him. Tooru likes him, too. 

“That’s a great idea!” Tooru chirps. “We’ll need to specify it some more, I think. But it’s a good starting point.” 

Tokoyami and Watanabe exchange glances, but both eventually nod. 

“Cool,” Tooru says, pulling out her phone. “Let’s exchange numbers, ‘kay? “I’ll make a group chat.” For a second, Tooru could swear she sees the light go out in Watanabe’s eyes at the mention of a group chat. 

When she hands Watanabe her phone to add her number, the girl nearly drops it. “This case,” she says slowly, “Is it—”

“Yes!” 

Tokoyami looks at Koda in confusion. Tooru can just barely catch Koda whisper, “Kpop.” 

“Oh my god! Who’s your bias?” 

When Tooru says Lee Minho, she finds herself being crushed by Watanabe’s sudden embrace. They end up not working on their essay during the lunch hour, and Tooru can’t find that she’s too bothered by it.

* * *

_Hagakure Tooru added Watanabe Sakura, Koda Koji, and Tokoyami Fumikage to the group chat._

_Tooru renamed the chat to_ study crew!

**tooru:** welcome one and all! {*≧∀≦}

 **koda:** thanks for making this! (: 

**koda:** looking forward to working with you all! 

**tokoyami:** likewise 

**tooru:** same here! let’s ace this!

 **tooru:** ．☆．。．:*･°(✪‿✪)ノ(人´∀｀)．☆．。．:*･°

 **tooru:** omg

 **tooru:** sakura??? 

**koda:** is she getting our messages? 

**tooru:** we all have read receipts on 

**tooru:** so she’s seeing this 

**tooru:** watanabe

 **tooru:** you can’t have read receipts on 

**tooru:** and NOT respond 

**tooru:** rude (ㆁᴗㆁ✿) 

**tokoyami:** as expected of watanabe 

**sakura:** 凸(｀△´＋） 

**sakura:** did i do that right? 

**sakura:** do you see a middle finger? 

**tokoyami:** 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸

 **koda:** :( 

**sakura:** sorry 

**tokoyami:** i apologize 

**koda:** :) 

**tooru:** koda!!! 

**koda:**? 

**tooru:** you’re too powerful! (〇*>∀<)ゞ★☆ 

* * *

On Friday afternoon, Present Mic lets them out of school a little early to work on their group essays. Iida actually tries to question his logic there (“Sir, it is far more productive for you to allow us to go to the library than let us leave school early!”) until he's physically restrained by Kirishima and Kaminari ("Bro! Bro _no_! Don't ruin this for us!") 

Koda leads them to a small cafe nearby the school. As they make their way, a parade of small children led by a white haired woman passes by them.

Watanabe and Tooru clutch each other to avoid squealing at the sight. The children were walking two-by-two and they’re holding each other’s small, chubby hands. 

Suddenly one of the kids, a small girl with dark hair and dark eyes, stares at them. Her eyes land on Tokoyami’s phone for a moment, and then her small hands stretch, shooting out at him. The girl's tiny hands snatch Tokoyami’s device from him. 

A stunned silence follows as the parade of small children disappears further down the street and towards the nearby elementary school. 

“I have heard stories about this,” Tokoyami says suddenly. “Stories of demons taking the shape of small, innocent creatures. I must vanquish the evil.” 

They all stare at Tokoyami incredulously. 

“Tokoyami, you can’t attack a child!” Tooru cries.

“That is no mere child,” Tokoyami says ominously before taking off. 

* * *

Izuku is starting to feel less guilty. He still feels terrible that Katsuki’s been transferred out, but he’s not sick with as much guilt as before. Aizawa and Shuzenji have been immensely helpful, even if their methods leave Izuku feeling nonplussed and embarrassed (yes, he does say he loves himself and that he’s strong every single morning, and yes he does want to die every single time.) 

He’s starting to look at his relationship with Katsuki in a different light now, too. It’s unsettling how much Katsuki and his old middle school made him feel defective in every way possible because he was Quirkless. 

The insults, name-calling, shaming, and public put-downs. Sakura always did tell him those things weren’t supposed to happen to him, and that they should tell someone. He always said no. It was fine. 

_Not normal,_ he has to remind himself. _Not OK._

No, now he was seeing it all in a different light. Why did he deserve that treatment because he was Quirkless? Why did they think he wasn’t as good as them because of it? He didn’t deserve that treatment. He deserves happiness, doesn’t he? 

“Izuku!” He blinks and sees Tsuyu's hand waving in his face. “You alright, ribbit? You blanked out there for a second.” 

Oh, right. He’s with his class—no, his _friends._ Right. They're supposed to be working on their group essay (and it actually takes them twenty minutes to convince Tenya that they could be more productive at a cafe than at their school's library.) 

“Y-yeah!” He stammers out. “Sorry!” 

Tsuyu nods at him. 

“How cute!” Uraraka cries, pointing out the window. A parade of small children passes them. Then Tokoyami, who looks furious, runs by. Then they see a frantic Sakura following close behind. She’s shouting at him, but they can’t quite make out what she’s saying. After a brief moment, there’s Koda and a floating school uniform (maybe Hagakure?) running by them, too. 

“We should help them,” Tenya suggests, but it sounds less like a statement and more like a question. 

“Who, ribbit?” Tsuyu wonders. “The kids, or our classmates?” 

By the time they arrive at the scene, it’s their classmates who need the help. Tokoyami is encased in ice, Hakagure and Koda is speaking to an older woman with white hair, and Sakura appears to be doubled over….laughing? Ah, she’s laughing and pointing at Tokoyami. The children, meanwhile, look deeply unimpressed. 

It takes a few minutes, but soon the situation is cleared up. The group of children, a kindergarten class, were on their way back to school when one of the students had stolen Tokoyami’s phone. Tokoyami tried to get it back by using his Quirk. Understandably, the kindergarten teacher, Todoroki, stopped him using her ice Quirk. 

_Todoroki._ Izuku frowns. _Why does that name sound so familiar?_

Todoroki flashes a stern look at the culprit, a small child with dark hair and dark eyes. “Aki, what do I always tell you?” 

The girl shrugs, and sticks a finger up her nose. Izuku has to physically restrain Tenya from trying to scold the child himself. 

"Her literal teacher is right there," he hisses at him, and that's enough to have Tenya stop struggling so Izuku releases him. 

“Aki,” Todoroki says. 

“That—that we’re not s’posed to use our Quirks,” the girl mumbles, head hanging low. 

“And?” 

“And—and stealin’ stuff is bad,” she adds. Taking her finger out of her nose, she reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small black phone. Her hand stretches out and deposits the cellphone in front of Tokoyami’s feet. 

“And?” 

“And I thought it was a snack.” 

_“Aki."_

“Sorry,” the girl says finally. 

Tokoyami, who is now free from Todoroki’s ice, stares down at the girl with a look of pure disdain. “Apology accepted, you dem— _urk!_ ” he doubles over in pain when Sakura’s elbow meets his stomach. Izuku winces in sympathy. She has sharp elbows. 

He turns his attention back to the small child, who resumes picking her nose. She has an exceptional Quirk. Imagine the possibilities with a Quirk that allows one’s body to stretch like rubber. If trained correctly, she could stretch her arm back and throw a devastating punch. For instance, a simple straight punch could be augmented with stretching—

“Izuku,” Sakura cuts in, “Please stop, you’re scaring the children.” 

Izuku blinks. Oh shit, was he saying all of this out loud? 

Tenya frowns at him. “Language.” 

“S—sorry!” Behind him, he can hear Ochako and Tsuyu chuckling. Traitors. 

“Sorry again about all this,” Todoroki says, bowing slightly. 

“No, no,” Sakura waves at her. “It’s totally Tokoyami’s fault.” 

Tokoyami looks offended. “It’s _not_ —” 

“Anyway, take care!” Hagakure jumps in, waving widely at the kids as they follow their teacher (or at least, by the way her shirt sleeves are flapping about, Izuku thinks she’s waving her arms.)

“We should probably go too, ribbit,” Tsuyu says. “We’ve got to finish our paper.” 

“Us too,” Hagakure says.

“Oh!” Sakura clasps her hands together. “Guys, let’s write about the Quirk Singularity.” 

Everyone, with the exception of Izuku, looks at her in confusion. 

“The what?” Ochako asks. 

“It’s a line of thinking that suggests that Quirks will continue to mix together and deepen, growing in both strength and complexity with every new generation," Sakura explains. "Eventually, there's going to be a point where no one will be able to control them anymore. No one actually believes it, though." 

“You’re living proof of it,” Izuku says. 

Sakura glares at him, but there’s no real heat. “No, I’m not!”

“You have, like, three Quirks!” 

“I can _control_ them,” Sakura huffs. “And they’re not Quirks!” 

“Three Quirks?” Ochako’s eyes widen in surprise. 

“That’s amazing,” Tsuyu says. 

_“Three?!”_ Tenya cries. “Th—that’s not possible!” 

“Watanabe is truly a creature of chaos,” Tokoyami says with a nod. 

“Oi, I’ll _show_ you a creature of chaos, you bird brain!” 

“We should make our leave now,” Tokoyami says to Hagakure and Koda. 

“Hey! I’m talking to you!” 

“See you all at school,” he says to Izuku, Tenya, Ochako and Tsuyu. He steers Hagakure and Koda towards the direction they came from. 

“See you later, ribbit,” Tsuyu says. 

“Hey! _Hey!_ Get back here!” 

Izuku, Tenya, Ochako and Tsuyu watch the group leave. For a long moment no one says anything.

* * *

_Hagakure Tooru made Watanabe Sakura a group chat admin._

_Watanabe Sakura changed the group chat photo._

_[Image description: Tokoyami Fumikage, who looks murderous, is running quickly towards a group of small children.]_

**tokoyami:** when did you take this 

**tokoyami:** how did you take this? 

**sakura:** <(￣︶￣)>

**tooru:** OMG WATANABE

 **tooru:** THIS IS NOT WHAT U TOLD ME (ﾉಥ益ಥ)ﾉ

 **tooru:** SORRY TOKOYAMI

_Hagakure Tooru has removed the group chat photo._

**tokoyami:** you are not at fault

_Hagakure Tooru removed Watanabe Sakura as a group chat admin._

**sakura:** aw!!!! 

**tooru:** ↑_(ΦwΦ)Ψ deal with it

 **tokoyami:** it was done deservedly so 

**koda:** ): 

**sakura:** sorry

 **koda:** ):

 **sakura:** i won’t do it again

 **sakura:** i promise 

**koda:** :)

 **tokoyami:** i don’t forgive you 

**koda:** ): 

**tokoyami:** i forgive you

 **koda:** :) 

_Hagakure Tooru made Koda Koji a group chat admin._

* * *

They get full marks on their essay. Present Mic tells them their topic is the most creative one he’s seen in a while. He also has them stay after class to ensure they don’t actually believe in the Quirk Singularity theory.

Tooru is a little worried that this means it’s the end of their little squad (their group chat got very silent once they finished the essay), but to her great surprise Koda—no, Koji—suggests they get bubble tea after school to celebrate. It’s then she finds out how much of a big fan Tokoyami and Watanabe—no, they’re Fumikage and Sakura now—are of bubble tea. 

Fumikage is a staunch traditionalist, ordering a classic black milk tea. Koji really enjoys sweets, so he gets a honeydew milk tea with condensed milk. Sakura, meanwhile, gets a taro milk tea. 

When Tooru orders herself a mango slush with no tapioca balls (she hates the texture, OK?), all three of them scold her—OK, well, Koji just frowns at her a little, but that’s pretty much a scolding from him. Fumikage tells her she’s banned from ordering for herself, while Sakura starts complying with a list of flavours for her to try next time.   
_  
Next time_. 

(Best not be too hopeful, otherwise it’ll hurt more when you’re let down.) 

They talk about school, about their middle school experiences, about why they want to become heroes. It’s nearly sunset by the time they finish talking.

Before they leave, Tooru accompanies Sakura to the washroom. Tooru waits by the sink for Sakura to finish drying her hands. It’s then that she is suddenly seized by the shoulders. 

“Genjutsu!” 

“Gen—what?” 

Sakura releases her and holds up two fingers to her face and mumbles something Tooru can’t quite hear.

“I knew it!” Sakura cries excitedly, and she’s looking Tooru in the eyes.

Tooru flinches under her gaze. People always stare at her forehead, or the side of her face. She’s never, ever had someone look directly into her eyes since her Quirk first manifested. 

“Ah, your hair is tied up really cutely!” Sakura gushes, her eyes flitting to Tooru’s high ponytail.

A warm, unfamiliar feeling blooms in Tooru's chest.

“Oh,” Sakura's eyes grow sad as it trails down Tooru’s arms and legs. “Oh, Tooru.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, clutching the bakugou/consequences tag: i failed you!!! 
> 
> listen, he’s still going to be held accountable ok!!!! i almost wrote him not being expelled and given a second chance, but then again i feel like aizawa would try to protest that. i considered expelling him, but i don’t think nezu would let that fly as i hope that came across here! so, he’s at shiketsu. more to come there.
> 
> this chapter is v much inspired by kirishimom's amazing one-shot [mirror mirror](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17881109). go read it!!! 
> 
> also: please meet the sakusquad!!!! 
> 
> also also: i realize i’ve never addressed mineta. sakura takes his place as a student! surprise! 
> 
> also also also: apparently camie’s a second year? not in this universe, baby! 
> 
> also also also also: i love dumb school rivalries so best believe shiketsu students call u.a "uass"


	5. factis ut credam facis

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No need of words, trust deeds.

The first time Fumikage loses control of Dark Shadow, he’s in his first year of middle school. People start to avoid him. It starts with his classmates, who refuse to meet his eye. Soon after his neighbours somehow find out about it, and he no longer has his greetings returned. His entire middle school experience is filled with a quiet loneliness. 

He wakes up, and he goes to school. He talks to no one, not even his parents when he gets home. He goes to sleep, and he wakes up usually twice in the middle of night because of Dark Shadow. He stays awake until he has to get ready for school. 

He doesn't remember the last time he’s felt a laugh come from deep in his belly, or the last time he’s felt secure in himself. How does he build himself up from this? 

So he allows the image that everyone has planted about him to take root. He starts picking fights with everyone that looks at him with wide, frightful eyes. He gets suspended three times. He gets into frequent arguments with his parents. One day they get into their worst argument yet, and it’s so bad that Fumikage leaves in the middle of the night while they're asleep, fully intending to not come back.

He walks and walks and walks until he reaches downtown. He stumbles across a small rickety shop that’s open despite the late hour. There’s barely anywhere to move around inside as every possible surface of the shop is covered with plants, crystals, and dried flowers. Although he spots no jasmine anywhere, the store reeks of it. An old woman sits behind a counter, barely visible over the stacks of tea leaves tucked into large glass jars.

“Welcome, young one,” the old woman croaks. “Come closer.” 

When he reaches her, she hands him a small tree branch. 

“Everything you’re feeling is valid,” she tells him. “But you make your feelings invalid every time you cause harm to others as they have harmed you.” 

“What are you talk—”

“Come back here on the next full moon,” she says, and Fumikage finds his feet moving involuntarily. Before he knows it, he walks right out of the shop. When he tries to re-enter, he finds the door locked shut.

He returns home to find his parents still sound asleep. He goes into his room to try to search the small shop online, but he can’t remember its name. He can barely remember the face of the shopkeeper. He shuts his computer off, and sets the tree branch next to his keyboard. 

He goes to sleep and doesn’t wake up again until his mother comes into his room and shakes him away, telling him he’s late for school. 

The next full moon takes thirty days to appear. In that time Fumikage stops picking fights, his mind constantly echoing that old woman’s words each time he feels the inclination to silence everyone’s frightened looks with his fists. He argues less and less with his parents now, too. 

He learns that the tree branch the woman gave him is from a redwood tree. Later he learns the tree is associated with strength, protection, creativity, and enlightenment. 

On the night of the next full moon, Fumikage sneaks out to go to the shop again, bursting with many questions for the woman. When he arrives in the shop, there’s the scent of frankincense and myrrh wafting through the air.

“Welcome, child,” she says. 

“Why did you—”

“You are giving others the power to create the universe within you. Why give someone the power over your storms and sunshine? You hold the power to make yourself as you were, as you are, and as you will be. Don’t give it away to those that cannot understand you,” she says, handing him a bag of white tea. “I’ll see you at the next full moon.” 

Just like before, his feet move against his will, and he’s out the doors of the shop before he can say another word. 

The next morning, Fumikage wakes up before his parents to make himself a cup of the white tea. The soft, sweet smell of the tea wafts in the air. He takes a small sip. He feels settled. Even Dark Shadow is quieter than usual. He pulls out his phone and searches for the meaning of white tea. It takes him several searches to find a suitable answer. It means purification, protection, clarity, realization, mediation and cleansing. 

When his parents stumble into the kitchen that morning, there’s surprise visible in their eyes at the sight of him awake before them. He takes another sip of his tea, and then he asks them to enrol him into Quirk Counselling. 

He gets better at reining in Dark Shadow. His Quirk Counsellor, a gentle-looking man, suggests that he considers applying to U.A. and becoming a hero. Fumikage dismisses the idea immediately. 

He starts buying plants. First some succulents, then some potted flowers like jasmine, and soon things escalate. His room starts to fill with night blooming, evening stock, four o’clock, moonflower, mock orange, tuberose, and night phlox. His parents joke that he’s turning his room into a forest. He starts coming to class sometimes with petals and leaves tucked into his feathers.

One day, a his classmates asks him if he’s good with plants and seeks some advice for a plant of theirs that has mushy stems. 

“How often do you water it?” 

“Uh, like, everyday.” 

“You should water it only when soil is dry to touch,” he advises. 

A couple weeks later she thanks him for saving her plant, which sparks the interest of some of his other classmates that own plants. They start calling him the Plant Doctor. Some even start bringing their wilting plants to school for him to inspect. He almost forgets that weeks ago these were the same people who refused to look him in the eyes. He thinks a lot about the old woman and her advice whenever he remembers this fact. 

He tries to visit the shop after school and on the weekends, but it seems no matter the time of day the shop is always closed. There’s no sign on the shop, either. He tries to look through the window, but plant leaves block his view. It’s only when the next full moon appears that he’s able to enter the shop again. This time it smells like cinnamon. 

“The universe knows our fears and tests our strengths,” the woman says. “How divine is it to know that you’ll be challenged in order to exercise your own growth? Isn’t it a blessing to know that you’ll never be given anything you cannot handle? To know that even if you break, there’s always an opportunity to transform? To be made new again?"

"I want to th—" 

She silences him by gently placing a tree branch into hands. "Good luck, Fumikage.” 

He’s out of the shop again, his feet yet moving against his will. When he turns around the shop is gone, instead replaced by a large alleyway. 

When he returns home he learns that the tree branch belongs to a yew tree. It means strength and change. 

That night, he gets started on his application to U.A. 

  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  


Sometimes Fumikage thinks he imagined the store. He’ll look for it on his nightly walks downtown, something he’s continued to do since middle school. Over the course of the years since he started doing this, he’s noticed how much the city’s nightlife has improved, and not just for those that enjoy drinking and dancing. A lot of museums and aquariums now stay open quite late on most nights. There’s also been an uptick in coffee shops and tea houses staying open almost as late as some of the bars in the city. But Fumikage’s favourite change has been with the city’s temples and shrines.

Musutafu’s main temples and shrines are now always illuminated by lanterns at night. While the main halls of the temples are closed, the grounds are open to anyone to walk through. When can’t quite get to sleep, Fumikage finds walking through the grounds of a temple or shrine to be his favourite nightly activity. He feels the most at ease when he walks the grounds of the shrine for the moon god. Dark Shadow even feels less frantic and more calm whenever he visits, so he makes an effort to go at least once a week, especially on nights where there’s a full moon.

On these walks, he sometimes sees a man with long, disheveled purple hair and the deepest eye bags he’s ever seen. The man only ever nods at him, continuing past him into the other direction. Dark Shadow somehow convinces Fumikage that the man is a ghost that needs to pass on.

"There’s some unfinished business binding his spirit to Earth," Dark Shadow tells him.

So on one of his nightly walk through the grounds of the moon god shrine when Fumikage sees the man he stops and turns towards him. 

“What is your purpose here?” 

The man blinks. “My purpose?” 

“Yes. What binds you here?” 

“Oh, well, like you, I enjoy walking through here. It helps me relax,” the man tells him. “Wouldn’t you agree that these grounds are the best at night? Anyway, I’ll be seeing you. Don’t stay out too late, alright?” 

Week after week, Fumikage tries again to learn the purpose that binds the ghost to earth. He’s read many articles online that tell him it wouldn’t be easy. After all, the ghost barely knows him, and Fumikage isn’t a professional exorcist. Why would the ghost be willing to tell him about what might very well be a personal tragedy that is keeping him here? So Fumikage soldiers on, repeatedly asking him the same question each time he sees him.

“Purpose? Hm? Probably enjoying a good drink after my walk tonight. What about you?” 

“Ah, same question as always, hm? Well, I guess my purpose today is to finish this book I’m reading. You see, it’s about to become a movie soon, so I don't have much time.” 

“Well, I suppose today it’s getting a cup of coffee. Have you seen the new late-night cat cafe that’s opened up? I think I’ll take a look at that today. Their coffee looks quite good.” 

After what feels like months of going nowhere, there’s finally something of a breakthrough. 

“I have a son about your age,” the man tells him. “He’s been stressed lately with school. He’s got an important interview coming up that will mean a lot if he’s successful. I suppose my purpose is supporting him through that.”

“When is his interview?” 

“In about two weeks.” 

  


“What are you making, Fumikage?” Fumikage looks up sees the orchid petal on his desk float away. 

“Tooru,” he greets. “I’m making a good luck charm.” 

On his desk he’s laid out a stick of bamboo, two golden pothos leaves, and five purple orchid petals. These are all plants to bring good luck and success. He’s also got frankincense and myrrh oil for improvement, cinnamon for success and strength, and jasmine oil for wisdom. He’s planning on placing them into a felt small pouch to give to the ghost man. Surely once the man’s son is able to pass his interview and see that he’s capable without him, he can then pass on. 

“Cool!” Tooru sets the petal back down on his desk. “Can you make me one?” 

“Once I’ve finished this,” Fumikage says. “What kind of luck do you require?” 

“Can you make me one so that I pass tomorrow’s math test?” 

He would need to procure the leaf of a rubber plant for her in that case. 

“That can be done.” 

“You guys having lunch here today?” Sakura and Koji approach his desk. “Oh, what’s this?” 

“Fumikage is making a good luck charm,” Tooru explains. 

“For who?” Sakura asks. 

“A ghost.” 

Sakura blinks. Koji blinks. Tooru probably blinks, too. 

“A g-g-ghost?” Koji shivers. 

“Whoa, Fumikage you can see ghosts?” Tooru sounds excited. “Is there a ghost in the room right now?”

Fumikage surveys the room for a moment. “No.” 

Koji looks relieved. 

“Why does a ghost need a good luck charm?” Sakura asks.

“It's for an exorcism I'm performing.” 

Now Sakura looks excited. “Can you perform an exorcism on a tree for me?” 

“A tree?” Tooru repeats. 

“There’s this willow tree by my dad’s grave that my mom planted,” she explains. “I’m pretty sure it’s haunted.” 

"By your dad?" Tooru asks. 

"Uh, no, I don't think so," Sakura says. 

“Well, ghosts do usually appear where willows grow,” Fumikage says. “Show me this tree. I may be of assistance.” 

“Thanks, Fumikage!” 

  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  


Fumikage stares at the back of Sakura’s head as he follows behind her, thinking about the gap between where he was three years ago and where he is now.

He thinks about Koji, the first person he’s wanted to become his friend in a long time. Koji reminds him of the wind blowing through a field of tall grass on a sunny summer day. He has a steady, quiet loyalty towards those lucky enough to become close to him. He’s thankful to be his friend.

Tooru is someone he expects a friendly, but distant relationship with given her energetic and open nature. Tooru reminds him of a river during the springtime, fluid, flowing; gentle and intense. It takes him by surprise when he finds how similar they are, especially when it comes to managing their Quirks. It’s through Sakura that he and Koji learn about the toll her Quirk has on her. When she comes to school, sometimes quieter than usual and her uniform looking slightly disheveled, he starts giving her black tea for strength, stability, and to expel negativity.

During one of the few times it’s just the two of them walking home, he tells her about his previous struggles with Dark Shadow and his experiences in middle school. When he does, Tooru pulls into him a hug. 

"Even in the darkest of the night, there’s always the stars to guide your journey," he says at the time. "You’ll find your way." 

He feels a wet spot form on his shoulder. 

His friendship with Sakura, meanwhile, is entirely unexpected. To be honest, she is the last person he’d ever think he could befriend. She’s too bright. She is the sun during autumn, painting everything in rich hues of orange and yellows. She’s warm and the centre of attention, but she brings everyone to the spotlight with her. Sometimes he feels like he can see the universe burning behind her eyes. It’s overwhelming at times. 

“OK, so this is the tree,” Sakura says, gesturing at the weeping willow. “It never attacks me when I’m with other people.” 

Fumikage regards it for a long moment. “It attacks you? Only you?” 

“Yeah.” 

“There’s no need to exorcise it then,” Fumikage decides, bowing to the tree. “Thank you for your service.” 

“Did you just—?” Sakura gasps at his retreating back. “ _Fumikage!_ Fumikage, you bastard! Get back here!” 

  
  
  
  
  
  


It’s a week later that Fumikage sees the man again during his nightly walk. 

“Please take this,” he thrusts the finished good luck charm into the man’s cold, dead hands. “Give this to your son and he will be successful with his interview.”

“Oh?” the man inspects the felt pouch. “Is this a good luck charm?” 

Fumikage nods. 

“How kind of you,” the man says, a small smile on his face. “I’ll be sure to give it to him.”

“Have a restful afterlife,” Fumikage says with a slight bow. 

The man blinks. “Afterlife?” 

“Yes.” 

“What do you mean by that?” 

“You’re a ghost.” 

“You think I’m a ghost?”

“Indeed, that is why you haunt these grounds,” Fumikage says. “But once you see that your son will be fine, surely then you can pass on.” 

“I’m not a ghost,” the man says. 

“You’re not a ghost?” Fumikage repeats. 

“No.” 

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m quite sure,” the man says. “Do you want to feel my pulse or something?” 

Fumikage places two fingers on the pulse at the man’s wrist, and sure enough he feels the slow rhythm of his heartbeat. 

“Oh,” Fumikage says feebly. He can hear Dark Shadow cackling at him. “My mistake.” 

“You know, this may take you by surprise, but this isn’t the first time someone’s thought I was a ghost.” 

  
  


* * *

_Congratulations,_ reads the email. _You’ve been accepted to the Hero Course._

Hitoshi blinks at the email. He sets his phone on his bed, and steps towards his window. Hitoshi considers the one and only perk that comes with living downtown in a small condo would be the view. He watches the sun set behind the tall towers before he goes back to pick up his phone to look at the email again and _yep, there it is again._ He squints at the sender’s name, trying to spot a misspelling or something because _there’s no way,_ but he finds none. It’s official. He’s in the Hero Course. 

_What the hell._

His first thought, weirdly enough, is what Monoma might think about this. The two bonded over their intense and petty dislike towards Class 1-A. Now _he’s_ part of Class 1-A. What would they talk about now? The trauma of growing up with a Quirk that people perceive as villainous? _Hell no._

This isn’t how it’s supposed to go. Hitoshi is supposed to do a kick ass declaration of war against Class 1-A, and then prove himself at the Sports Festival. He didn’t think a stupid interview with some gruffy looking man would land him in the Hero Course. 

_What the hell._

He feels his phone buzz and, oh, great, another email. It’s from the gruffy man, too. Speak of the devil, as they say. 

_You’ll be doing personalized training with me starting this week,_ reads the email. 

Hitoshi almost throws his phone. He opts to instead pace around his room, and then to rest of the condo. He doesn’t realize he’s been pacing around for several hours until he hears his father, Ayumu, come home. 

“Son,” his father says as he takes off his work shoes and slips into his house slippers. He makes his way to the couch and takes a seat. 

“Father.” 

“Progeny.”

“Genitor.” 

“Huh,” his father says, rubbing his stubbly chin.“That’s pretty good. I’d say that’s at least ten points.” 

“It’s more like twenty, but that’s not important right now,” Hitoshi says quickly. After taking a suitable one-minute pause, he sucks in a deep breath and continues, “I got into the Hero Course.”

“You got into the Hero Course?” His father breaks into a wide smile. “That’s amazing Hitoshi! Why didn’t you tell me sooner, I would have—”

“No, you don’t get it,” Hitoshi waves his hand at him, growing impatient. _“I got into the Hero Course.”_

“Well, yes, even if you say that with all that emphasis, it doesn’t really change much.”

_“Dad.”_

“Look, an interview is a perfectly acceptable way to prove you deserve a place in the Hero Course."

Hitoshi sighs. “I guess you're kind of right.”

“I’m always right, Hitoshi.” 

“Of course,” Hitoshi snorts. “Anyway, what’s up with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“You look more exhausted than usual.” 

“I’m not more exh—” a yawn cuts him off. 

Hitoshi crosses his arms. “See?”

“I can’t even sleep, that yawn means nothing.” 

_“Dad.”_

_“Son.”_

“What’s wrong? Is it work?” 

Ayumu is what many would incorrectly refer to as the city’s Night Mayor. His actual job is Director of the Office of Nightlife and Culture, where at first he was responsible for improving the city's nightlife, addressing noise concerns, and building the city’s night-time economy.

As a man incapable of sleeping as a result of his Quirk, the job fit him quite well. But then somewhere along the way his portfolio ballooned to include community safety. So now not only is he fielding calls from business owners, developers, artists, politicians, and planners, he's also dealing with calls from police and Pro Heroes about the increasing violent crimes taking place at night. Hitoshi blames the current mayor, a bumbling incapable man always ready to pass any and all responsibility on matters that make him look bad to others. He wouldn’t be surprised if the mayor decided to throw his dad under the bus to avoid being held accountable for the rising rates of crime in Musutafu.

“Well,” Ayumu starts, “this is obviously stays between the two of us—”

“Who would I tell?”

Ayumu stares at him. “You know, for a kid who claims to have no interest in having friends, you have a surprisingly high number of them.” 

“I don’t.” 

“Of course,” he replies flatly. He pauses for a moment before continuing. “There might be a serial killer.” 

“A….serial killer?” Hitoshi blinks. “There’s a _serial killer_?”

“Didn’t I say ‘might’? I’m pretty sure I used the word might. You really like emphasizing words tonight, emphasize the word might.”

“There _might_ be a serial killer.” 

“Yeah, so be careful, hm?” Ayumu stands up and reaches over to clap Hitoshi on the shoulder. It’s almost a fatherly gesture. _Almost._ “Anyway, don’t you have school tomorrow? It’s getting late.” 

“Dad, you just can’t say there’s a serial killer—”

“There _might_ be.”

“OK, so there _might_ be a serial killer, and you expect me to _sleep_? What the hell?” 

“At least you _can_ sleep, son.” 

“Dad, don’t even start.” 

  
  


Between training with Aizawa and catching up with the curriculum of Class 1-A, Hitoshi gets very little sleep. He honestly doesn’t even member what he tells his new classmates when he introduces himself. He’s barely awake by the time lunch rolls around. 

He’s thinking about buying some iced coffee when he notices his classmates standing around the doorway. 

“What’s going on?” he asks a serious-looking guy with glasses. 

“It appears our peers from the other classes are blocking the exit,” the guy explains. 

It’s then he hears Monoma’s voice. He’s complaining loudly about how arrogant Class 1-A has become despite only having one encounter with villains and he’s not—he _can’t—_

“Monoma, what the hell?!” Hitoshi calls out. Everyone turns to look at him. 

Monoma, _the absolute jackass,_ is declaring war on Class 1-A. That’s _his_ thing! Well, OK, it can’t be his thing because he’s now _in_ Class 1-A, but that doesn’t give Monoma the right to do it. 

“Ah, Shinsou, you better not get too comfortable in Class 1-A,” Monoma says with a sneer. “As for the rest of you, try to not embarrass us at the Sports Festival, will you?” 

With that, everyone starts to clear out and head to the cafeteria where everyone is already sitting in small cliques. _Great_. Hitoshi thought that with it still being the first few weeks of school that perhaps most of Class 1-A wouldn't have started to form small friend groups just yet. After all, it should be still too early for any friendships to completely solidify with everyone still getting to know each other. He's completely wrong. Everyone looks like they've been friends with each other for years. _What the hell._

Scanning the tables that Class 1-A students occupied, Hitoshi tries to find the least difficult group to join. He’s ruling out the table with the kid with All-Might’s Quirk immediately. He’ll probably want to fight him and his stupid overpowered ass. Maybe the table with the bird-head kid? He seems alright _—wait._ He doesn't _need_ friends. He isn’t at U.A to make _friends_. He’s here to kick ass and prove that even with a brainwashing Quirk, he can become a great Pro Hero. 

“Hey! Shinsou, right?” A blond blur appears in front of him. “You’ve been standing there for a really long time.” 

Hitoshi blinks and the blond blur becomes a guy with….wait, does he have _side bangs_? Side bangs? In this decade? Look, Hitoshi has never taken a brush to the mop on the top of his head that he calls hair, but even he has some standards.

“Who are you?” 

The guy clutches at his chest. “You literally sit right next to me in class! I already introduced myself to you, Shinsou!” 

Hitoshi does not remember that at all, but then again he’s so tired he doesn’t remember most of the morning. Hell, this guy could very well tell him that he sang a ballad in the middle of their morning class, and you know what? Hei probably couldn’t challenge that. 

“My bad.” 

“I’m Kaminari, remember that,” he says, jabbing a finger at him. “Anyway, my table wants you to join us.” 

“Your table?” 

Kaminari points at a table with a plain-looking guy, a girl with pink skin and horns, and a guy wearing way too much hair gel. 

When he sits down, the plain-looking guy gives him a wide smile. “I’m Sero Hanta. That’s Ashido and that’s Kirishima.” 

He nods at them. “Shinsou Hitoshi.” 

“What kind of hair gel do you use?” Kirishima asks. 

“I’m not wearing any.” 

“Bro, are you serious?” 

“Dead serious.” 

“Wait, wait, before you ask him about his hair _—_ which is totally great, by the way. Honestly, I love this whole hobo-chic you’ve got going on,” Ashido says with a wink. “But what was up with that blond guy? How do you know him?” 

“That's Monoma,” Hitoshi replies slowly, reeling a bit from the hobo-chic comment. Should he be offended? Well, it's too late now. “He’s from my....old class." Wow, does _that_ feel weird to say. "He can be a lot sometimes." 

“That was really manly of him to declare war on us,” Kirishima says, voice growing thick. Is he.....is this guy really tearing up right now?

“Actually, _I_ was planning on doing that,” Hitoshi mutters. “I told him about it, too. But then I got transferred in here after some interview. What’s up with that, by the way? I heard some guy got transferred out of your class?” 

“Yeah, it was Bakugou,” Sero explains. “He got into a fight in the first week. See that girl with pink hair over there?” 

Hitoshi looks over to the table with the bird-head kid and spots a girl with pink hair sitting next to him. “He beat her up?”

“No, more like _she_ beat _him_ up,” Ashido corrects. 

“Yeah! Watanabe was all _boom! Blam! Pow!_ ” Kaminari explains, punching the air. “And then Bakugou was all _whoosh_ right out the window. I heard he broke a rib! And then he got transferred out.” 

“OK,” Hitoshi says after a moment of staring at Kaminari. Maybe he’ll ask the glasses guy about what happened. That guy seems reliable. “So why didn’t she also get transferred out then?” 

“No one really knows,” Kirishima says with a shrug.

“I heard it has to do with Midoriya or something,” Sero adds. At Hitoshi’s confused look, he points to a kid with green hair. Ah, that kid. _Of course_ he’d be involved somehow. 

"Honestly, I used to think Midoriya was the most wholesome and pure guy in our class," Ashido says with a sigh. "But now? I'm not so sure." 

"Obviously Koda's more wholesome than Midoriya," Sero challenges. Noticing Hitoshi’s confusion, he points at a guy whose head kind of looks like a mountain. 

“Yeah, Koda's like a mom," Kaminari says with nod. At the table's confused looks, he continues, "No, seriously. One time Tokoyami was going to curse me, but I got Koda to stop him. He just gave Tokoyami a disappointed look and he backed off immediately.” 

Kirishima frowns. “Why was he going to curse you?” 

“Wait, he _hasn’t_ cursed you?” Sero asks. "I swear he's cursed, like, half our class already." 

Kirishima shakes his head. 

“Lucky! His curses are the worst,” Ashido says. “For a whole week, every time I walked through a doorway I walked right into a spiderweb.” 

“Wait, I get why he’d curse _us_ ,” Sero says, waving a hand between him and Kaminari, “but why _you_?” 

“Aoyama paid him.” 

All three guys nod solemnly in understanding. 

There’s just so many things Hitoshi wants to ask them _—_ like how much is it to curse someone? Why did this Aoyama person pay to get Ashido cursed? Why is this a service being provided at U.A? But Hitoshi doesn’t know where to even begin, so he decides to just not ask at all. 

"Wait," Kaminari says suddenly. "What about us?" 

“Us?” Ashido repeats. “What about us?” 

“Who’s _our_ mom?” 

"We don't need a mom," Sero says. 

"No, think about it, _everyone's_ got a mom!" Kaminari cries. "Like, Tenya's that group's mom, and Yaomomo is the mom for that group. _We_ are the only group without a mom!"

A silence settles over the table.

“Ashido,” Sero decides after a moment. 

“Uh, no thanks,” Ashido dismisses immediately.“I'm more like our squad's cool, stylish and rich aunt that you only see on holidays."

“Kirishima?” Sero tries. 

“Hey, hey, what about me?” Kaminari cuts in. “I can totally rock being our group’s mom! I'm total mom material!” 

“Kirishima?” Sero repeats. 

Kirishima looks thoughtful. “A true manly friendship doesn’t need hierarchy,” he decides. “We should all be our own moms.” 

Another silence settles over the table. 

“Shinsou, you want to be our mom?” Sero asks. 

Hitoshi half smiles. 

* * *

Sakura watches the bō disappear. It takes about a full minute for the long mental staff to fully disappear from view. 

“You’re getting better,” Sakura says, voice brimming with fierce pride.

It’s been a few weeks since she realized Tooru’s invisibility is a genjutsu. A particularly strange one at that, according to Inner. The girl’s chakra seems to automatically layer an invisibility illusion over her body, one that is maintained almost instinctively. They learn quickly that she's also able to make her clothes and objects she's holding disappear, too. Unlike with her body though, it requires immense concentration for her to maintain the illusion. 

Sakura jumps back and feels a rush of wind whip at her face. She probably just narrowly missed Tooru’s bō. “Hey, you didn’t say start!” 

“Whoops,” she hears Tooru cry somewhere to the left of her. “Starting now!”

Since the discovery, the two of them have taken to training in Sakura’s backyard. Tooru’s been pretty accepting of Sakura’s ideas around training her Quirk. Tooru applies her illusions onto her clothes and weapons (lately, she’s really taken to fighting with a bō.) It's great practice for Sakura's abysmal sensing skills.

The bō strikes Sakura’s ankles, sending her flying. She twirls mid-air, landing onto her hands. Sakura shoots her feet into the air, rotating her hips so legs spin in a full circle. The blade of her right foot knocks into Tooru's bō. 

“You’re getting good at blocking!” Sakura grunts, flipping back onto her feet. She ducks quickly, feeling a rush of air whip past the back of her neck. Is Tooru aiming at the pressure points in her neck? 

“Yeah, well, you’re not getting any better at sensing!” Tooru counters, her voice sounding like it's right behind her. “Oh, whoops! Pretend you didn’t hear _—oof!_ ” 

Sakura aims a series of punches in quick succession towards where she can vaguely feel Tooru’s presence. She manages to wrench the bō from out of Tooru's hands. It clatters to the ground, now visible again. 

“Gah!” Tooru cries. “I was so close this time!” 

“Where were you aiming at earlier?” 

“The pressure point in your neck.” 

“Which one?”

“The one at the base of your skull.” 

“Tooru, how do you know _—_ ” 

“Girls!” Aoi calls out. “Come grab some lunch!”

Sakura sticks out her hand, stopping Tooru. “Wait,” she says, her face growing serious. “Big Sis, did you make it?” 

“No, you brat!” Aoi shouts back. “It's take-out!”

They shuffle into the kitchen, where Aoi is setting down bowls of katsudon on the dinner table. 

“You know,” Tooru asks around a mouthful of rice, “I don’t think I’ve ever met your mom yet, Sakura.” 

“She’s working a big case,” Sakura supplies. 

“On the weekend? Wow, she’s really dedicated.” 

“More like obsessed,” Aoi sighs. “You know, Best Jeanist’s sidekicks started hitting up my label once their agency got hit with a lawsuit? Honestly, I don't get why these Pro Heroes think giving me business is going to protect them from Akane. Not that I'm complaining." 

“Best Jeanist?” Tooru perks up. “Wait, what do you do again?” 

“Oh, I've never told you? I’m a designer.” 

“Cool!” Tooru says. “Um, does….does he have a neck?” 

“Who? Best Jeanist?”

“Yeah.” 

“I don’t know,” Aoi frowns. “I’ve never seen underneath that turtleneck. I–I don’t think _anyone_ has, to be honest.” 

The admission is enough to have Tooru launch into the several strange conspiracy theories regarding the man. 

“What if it's like that Western story about the girl who wears a green ribbon around her neck because without it her head would fall on the floor?” 

“Tooru _—_ ” 

“No, seriously Sakura, _think_ about it!” Tooru insists. “What if he needs to cover his own green ribbon, so he wears turtlenecks to cover it?”

“Oh my God,” Aoi sits up in her chair. “What if it’s the _turtleneck_ that’s keeping his head attached to his body? What if the turtleneck is his green ribbon?” 

_“Auntie.”_

  
  


* * *

**tooru:** guys

 **tooru:** GUYS 

**tooru:** new theory: thirteen is actually a sentient black hole 

_Sakura is typing……_

_Fumikage is typing……_

_Koji is typing……_

* * *

  
  


Sakura stares at the whiteboard in Chiyo’s infirmary. It reads: "It’s been 25 days since a student from Class 1-A has nearly died.” 

“Is that about Izuku?” 

“It’s not _not_ about him,” Chiyo decides. “Anyway, why are you here?” 

Sakura holds up her bento as if that explains anything. 

“You know,” Chiyo says, “This is probably not the best place to eat lunch.” 

“But I didn’t see you this morning,” Sakura whines. “I missed you, sensei!” 

Chiyo whacks her over the head with her cane. “Stop lying.” 

“Ow!” Sakura rubs her head. “Fine, I have a question. What if, hypothetically, a person has their, uh, Quirk evolve?”

Chiyo stares at her. “And this person isn’t already a known special case?” 

“No, hypothetically, they aren’t.” 

“And are they, hypothetically, a U.A. student?” 

“Yes.” 

“Well, I would say that’s definitely a cause for concern,” Chiyo says. “It’s an incredibly rare condition known as Awakening, where one's Quirk has the capacity to gain a new aspect to its nature that was not previously possible.”

Sakura frowns. “Why is that a cause for concern?” 

“Because the only documented cases where that’s happened, the individuals in question were in a life-or-death situation.” 

* * *

In the weeks leading up to the Sports Festival, Shoto’s been staring at Midoriya whenever he’s with All-Might. There’s something going on there. He thinks that maybe if he watches them long enough, he’ll be able to figure out what is their strange connection. He’s so wrapped up about it that it’s only when he overhears his classmates mention it that he comes to learn that Watanabe’s been staring at him with a similar intensity. 

He starts watching her and notices that she’s got that look in her eyes, the one that people usually have when they try to figure out why he looks so familiar. He isn’t surprised when she finally approaches him, the look in her eyes now one of recognition. She’s probably realized he is Endeavour’s son. Shoto’s pretty bad at reading people overall, but he’s very good at the few tells he knows to identify. He feels his shoulders slump slightly when she reaches him. 

“Do you have a brother?” 

Shoto blinks. He knows that look in her eyes. It’s the same look everyone has, but the question throws him off. It’s the wrong one. She’s supposed to say _hey, your dad’s Endeavour, right?_

“Yes.” 

“Does he…” she stops here, and he thinks that maybe she’s trying to find her words. He’s not sure. He feels very out of his element right now. “Does he kind of look like a zombie?”

Natsuo lives in an apartment near his campus, but when he used to live with them at the house Shoto remembers the way he would stumble around in the morning. It would be fair to say he looked like a zombie in those moments. Maybe she met him early in the morning? 

“Sometimes.” 

“Uh, can you give me his phone number?” 

“Why?” 

“He, uh, owes me a favour.” 

He doesn’t know Natsuo enough to challenge that. Hell, she could be talking about Fuyumi and he still wouldn’t be able to challenge that. His hands involuntary clench into fists.

“You, uh, don’t have to if you don’t want to, Todoroki.” 

“No,” Shoto mutters, pulling out his cellphone. “It’s fine.” 

“Well, thank you,” she says, once the number has been saved onto her phone. “I’ll see you in class?” 

“Watanabe.” 

“Yeah?” 

“How….how did you know he’s my brother?” 

“You kind of look like him,” she explains. “Especially your eyes _—_ er, I guess eye. Anyway, see ya Todoroki!” 

Shoto stares after her. He feels a little off-balanced for the rest of the day.

* * *

“Utsushimi _—”_

“Naga, I literally told you to call me Camie,” she says with a flip of her hair. “We’re besties.” 

“Camie,” Nagamasa tries again. “It’s five in the morning.”

“Yes, and we’ve both got amazing highlights,” Camie adds. “Now that we’re, like, totes done stating the obvious, we’ve got work to do.” 

“Work?” 

“Obviously our mission to, like, Win Bakugou’s Heart!” 

Nagamasa doesn’t know how he can hear the capitalization in those words, but then again it is five in the morning on a Sunday. 

“Camie.” 

“Naga.” 

Since Bakugou joined their class, Nagamasa has been dragged into trying to accomplish Camie’s bizarre mission to date the guy. He doesn’t understand her obsession with Bakugou. Sure he’s conventionally attractive, but the guy is loud, rude, and smells like black liquorice. He also doesn’t seem to like anyone at their school. The guy barely tolerates Inasa, and that’s only because they’re sparring partners. 

“Give me five minutes,” he finally says, releasing a weary sigh. At least if he gets over with whatever the hell Camie’s trying to do now, he’ll have the rest of the day to himself. 

“Put on some gym clothes!” Camie calls from outside his door. 

When he reemerges from his dorm, he’s wearing some shorts and an oversized hoodie. 

“So, we’re, like, going to casually bump into him during his run,” Camie explains as they make their ways out of the dorms.

“Why do I need to be here?” 

“Because it’ll look like I’m stalking him if it’s just me, duh!” 

“You _are_ stalking him.” 

“Naga!” 

Nagamasa ignores her, staring straight ahead at two running figures. “Is that Inasa running with Bakugou?” 

“Let’s go!” Camie grabs Nagamasa’s arm, dragging him forward. 

They do not catch up to Inasa and Bakugou. No, the two of them decide early on during their run to race each other using their Quirks, which meant the two of them went flying into the air, Inasa using his wind and Bakugou his explosions. Camie, for some Godforsaken reason, decides they still need to follow them. So they do, and quite pathetically Nagamasa must add. 

It’s the worst experience of Nagamasa’s life. His lunges are on fire. He doesn’t understand how Bakugou and Inasa can use their Quirks for over an hour without stopping, but somehow the bastards do it (perhaps most concerning of all, is the fact that literally no one stops them from illegally using their Quirks in public. Not one soul calls a Pro-Hero on their flagrant acts of lawlessness. Nagamasa would do it, really, he would, but he's too busy losing a lung trying to keep up with them.) Eventually they’re unable to find them and the two of them, and collapse in the middle of a quiet street. 

Camie, he realizes with a bit of pettiness, looks even worse than him. “I _—_ I won’t _—_ ” she stops here, taking in deep gulps of air. “I _—_ won’t _—_ lose!” 

“Why,” Nagamasa says between gasps of breath, “Why are you _—_ why are you so obsessed with finding a boyfriend?” 

“I _—_ I _—whew,”_ she stops again, and this time takes a couple minutes before speaking again. “I just find it exciting that I haven’t met all the people who will, like, love me, you know?”

Nagamasa blinks in surprise. “That’s kind of bea _—_ ” 

“Plus, I totally want a guy who can, like, spoil me,” Camie continues. “And doesn’t Bakugou look like he comes from money?”

“Nevermind,” Nagamasa says with a weary sigh. 

When Nagamasa finally, _finally_ returns to the dorms, he sees a stray cat hanging around the front door. Squatting down, he sticks his hand out towards the cat. The cat starts hissing at him and then scampers away.

With a frown, Nagamasa pulls out his phone and quickly enters into a search engine: _I want to befriend a stray cat, why is it hissing at me?_

 _Our feline friends get stressed just like us,_ reads the first article in his web search. _When cats show signs of anxiety, it can come off as aggression. Don’t worry, though! This article will break down how to turn your anxious new kitty friend into your new calm and cool cat bestie._

"Huh," Nagamasa murmurs as he reads the article. "This kind of reminds me of Bakugou. Maybe I should send this to Camie." 

  
  
  
  


The next day, Nagamasa is surprised to find Camie already at her seat before class begins. He’s about to tell her about the article, but when he sits down and he turns to face her, it’s then he notices the tears streaming down her face. 

“Are you alright?” 

“No,” Camie wails.

Nagamasa takes his seat in front of her. “What’s wrong?” 

“It’s Bakugou,” she sniffles. “He’s _—_ he’s dating someone!” 

Nagamasa silently sends his thanks to whatever deity finally listened to his prayers. But then because the Gods hate him, Seiji, who for some horrific reason is also present in their classroom, asks her, “How do you know this?” 

“So, like, I totes _wasn’t_ stalking him,” Camie starts. “But, like, on Sunday I couldn’t find him anywhere, not the gym or the library, or even his dorm _—_ ”

Nagamasa’s visible eye bulges out. _“Why were you in his dorm?”_

“ _—_ and, like, because Inasa was the last person to see him, I asked him where he was and he said he was on a _date._ And he’s got another one today, too.” 

“Good morning!” Inasa screams at them, shuffling into his seat next to Seiji. 

“Inasa, how do you know that Bakugou was on a date?” Seiji asks. “More importantly, is the person he is romantically involved with attending this school?" 

“Bakugou? He told me!” Inasa shouts. "I do not know if this person goes to our school!" 

“Well, we cannot get him expelled with hearsay alone, so we’ll need proof,” Seiji says. “We should follow him after school.” 

“Y-yeah!” Camie cries. “You’re right! This is totes us making an assumption!” 

“No, you fool, if we have proof then the vulgar cretin will surely get expelled.” 

“I don’t think getting caught dating is enough to get anyone here expelled,” Nagamasa says, but it falls to deaf ears. 

Hours later, he finds himself squatting behind a large bush with Camie, Seiji, and Inasa as they watch Bakugou knock on the door of an admittedly beautiful home. Whoever he’s dating comes from some serious wealth. 

Camie squints at whoever opens the door. “He’s, like, dating a....rat?” 

“Utsushimi, you utter fool. It’s clearly a mouse.” 

“No, that’s definitely a hot-blooded bear!” 

“No, I think that may be a dog.” 

Bakugou disappears into the creature’s home for about an hour. When he finally re-emerges he looks kind of relaxed? For the first time since he’s met him, Bakugou doesn’t scowl. 

“Oh no,” Camie gasps. “He’s, like, even hotter when isn't looking angry!” 

“Why the fuck are you extras here?” 

They all whip around to see Bakugou staring down at them. Nagamasa tries to not think too much about how someone as loud and angry as him managed to sneak up on them, because well, between this and his abysmal running shape, he’s wondering what good has Shiketsu been for his hero development. 

After realizing they’ve been staring up at Bakugou sheepishly in absolute silence for a full minute, Nagamasa breaks the silence by saying, “I was brought here against my will." 

“I am here to ensure you are acting in a manner befitting our great institution,” Seiji says. 

“I do not know why I am here!” Inasa screams 

“Are you, like, dating that rat?” Camie asks. 

There’s another silence, though this one is so charged that Nagamasa feels all his hairs stand up.

“What,” Bakugou demands through gritted teeth.

“Inasa said you had a date yesterday,” Camie explains, clearly obviously to danger she's in. "Today, too." 

“That is why you cannot spar with me today!” 

“Baldy, I fucking told you I had an _appointment_.” 

Inasa blinks. “Oh, right!” 

Camie almost looks angry. “You, like, got a _date_ confused with an _appointment_?” 

  
  
  


“Why the fuck are you extras all here?” 

Nagamasa looks up to see Bakugou standing at the entryway of the common room. Their entire class is huddling around the TV. 

“We’re watching U.A’s Sports Festival,” Nagamasa explains. “The highest scoring first year is making his speech right now.” 

A muscled guy with brilliant red hair has been speaking for about ten minutes now despite multiple attempts made to grab the microphone from him. They turn his speech into a drinking game, everyone taking a swing of their soda cans each time he uses the word manly.

“You know,” someone comments as they polish off another can of soda, “If this was a real drinking game, we’d all have alcohol poisoning at this point.” 

Bakugou makes his way to the TV, though he maintains a healthy distance between himself and the rest of the class. He peers at the TV, an almost sad expression on his face. It's only there for a moment before his usual scowl quickly reappears. Once the first year completes his speech, he stalks out of the common room. 

“Bakugou looks kind of sad,” Camie, who sits next to him, whispers. 

“I’m going to go check up on him,” Nagamasa says, getting to his feet. He finds Bakugou sitting alone in the kitchen. 

_Empower the cat,_ he remembers the article on how to befriend a stray cat stating. _If he’s reluctant to approach but seems interested, try offering a small spoonful of tuna as you talk to him. This could help entice him to come to you._

“You want to get some takoyaki?” 

“No.”

“It’s on me, don’t worry.” 

Bakugou scoffs, but follows him out of the dorms anyway. They walk in silence towards Nagamasa’s favourite takoyaki stall. The auntie who runs this stall uses a really good mayonnaise. When she sets down their orders, Nagamasa waits to watch Bakugou take his first bite. 

“It’s good, huh?” 

“Shut up,” Bakugou grumbles around a mouthful of takoyaki. 

Now might be the time to utilize the “non-threatening adversity” that the article suggests. He should initiate some interaction to help Bakugou realize he isn't so bad after all. 

In a low, calming voice, he asks, “So, what’s up with that dog you met yesterday? You have regular appointments with him?” 

“He’s a goddamn rat,” Bakugou says. “And he’s the reason why I’m here and not U.A.” 

_Oh,_ Nagamasa thinks, so _that explains the look on his face earlier._

“Huh, Camie so was right,” Nagamasa murmurs, mostly to himself. “Anyway, why does that matter?” 

“U.A. is the best damn hero school there is, how the fuck can I become the Number One Hero if I’m not there?” 

“Well, last I checked, All-Might never went to U.A. or Shiketsu.” 

“But he teaches there,” Bakugou retorts. “And U.A. is the best.” 

“Well, yes, but in the East, but not here in the West.” 

“Most of the top ten Pro Heroes came from U.A.”

“Somehow you don’t seem like the type that should know that kind of information.”

“Shut up!” 

“Anyway, that doesn’t really matter,” Nagamasa counters. “So what if there’s more Pro Heroes that came from U.A. than from Shiketsu? Most of the top ten Pro Heroes haven’t attended either school. A great school makes becoming a Pro Hero easier, but it doesn’t automatically make you one.” 

“Tch. Whatever, Shitty Hair.”

Nagamasa supposes that’s Bakugou-talk for _I guess you’re right_.

“So that mouse you’ve been seeing,” Nagamasa says. “What’s he making you do?” 

“That Shitty Rat is making me knit.”

Nagamasa fleetingly thinks that Bakugou might be Camie’s perfect guy if not for the singular reason that he, too, possesses the ability to verbalize the capitalization of certain words. 

“Why?” 

Bakugou shrugs. “Apparently it helps with my Quirk or some shit like that.” 

Nagamasa thinks about his grandmother’s arthritis and how taking up crochet helps her manage her chronic pain. With a Quirk that releases explosions from his palms, Nagamasa can only imagine how much pain Bakugou has to manage. 

“Cool.” 

Bakugou gives him a look.

“Do you want me to say something else?” Nagamasa asks. What, did he think he was going to laugh at him for knitting? 

“No,” Bakugou grumbles. “Fuck off.” 

A quiet settles over them, and Nagamasa is in no rush to fill it. They finish their meals in silence, and it’s only when they start to walk back to the dorms that Nagamasa speaks.

“You know, my grandmother has a saying that the universe knows our fears and tests our strengths,” he says, before they part ways to their door rooms. “She says that you’ll only ever be put into situations where you’ll get the opportunity to transform.”

Bakugou lets out a small _tch_ before stalking away to his room. 

The next day at school, Nagamasa finds a black knit hat on his desk.

“Where’d this come from?” he asks Camie as he takes his seat.

"Dunno," she says with a shrug. "It was here when I got here." 

Bakugou whips his head around and glares at him. “Just fucking take it, Shitty Hair!” 

Nagamasa blinks up at him. "You made this?" 

"Fuck off!" 

“Oi, oi, Bakugou!” Inasa calls. “I want one, too! Where’s my hat?” 

“Bakugou, me too!” Camie whines. “Make me a scarf!” 

“The fuck do I look like? A factory?” Bakugou cries. “Make your own shitty stuff!” 

Nagamasa feels something poke his back. He turns around to face Camie. “Why are you crying?” 

“Naga, I thought we were, like, comrades!” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“You’re obviously trying to steal Bakugou away from me!” 

“ _Wh—what_?” 

“ _Hah?_ What did you say, Shitty Blondie?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> police: are you a serial killer?  
> stain, who has murdered 17 pro heroes: bitch i might be 
> 
> so, at first i was like yeah this can totally end in 10 chapters, i know where i want to take this. but now???? rip 
> 
> huge thanks everyone who’s taken the time to read this and comment. i really appreciate it!! 
> 
> also for your consideration: kirishima is a soccer mom, kaminari is a wine mom, ashido is a vodka aunt, sero is an absent mom, and shinsou is the best friend mom (think gilmore girls)


	6. sequere pecuniam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Follow the money.

“Natsuo,” Fuyumi says with a huff. “You’ve been staring at your phone for ten minutes now.” 

It’s a rare Sunday afternoon where both Natsuo and Fuyumi are free. He doesn’t have any assignments or tests to study for, and she doesn’t have lesson plans to prepare. They decided to meet at the coffee shop near his apartment.

It’s a nice enough afternoon, so they sit out on the shop’s patio. Despite the place being known for its coffee varieties Fuyumi, ever the traditionalist, nurses one of the few tea options the shop offers. Natsuo goes with his usual drink: a large light roast, no milk, no sugar. 

"Someone is cyberbullying me,” he answers, holding out his phone to her. “See?” 

**natsuo:** seriously who’s this 

**(012)-345-6789:** fuck off you know who this is!!!!!! 

**(012)-345-6789:** you hair burning bastard!!!!! 

**(012)-345-6789:** you charred my ends!!! MY ENDS!!!! 

**(012)-345-6789:** you’re lucky i look good with short hair you utter piece of flaming shit!!! 

It starts sometime before the Sports Festival. First, it’s phone calls from a number he doesn’t recognize. He ignores them because it could be a spam call, or, even worse, his father trying to reach him. A few days later the person starts sending him texts with threats of violence against him, most directed at his hair. 

He’s so confused he starts calling his friends to ask about it. Did he do something to someone while he got drunk? He did get pretty wasted at the end of semester party a month ago (and he always has a fear in the back of his mind that when inebriated, he might act just like the bastard). But then again, the person keeps going on and on about him burning their hair. That doesn’t make any sense, given that he, well, doesn't have a fire Quirk (and, gee, what a great fourth birthday _that_ turned out to be when his father found out about his lack of a fire Quirk).

He stops responding to the texts except to send an occasional “who’s this” message, but the person still texts him on a daily basis regardless of whether or not he responds. 

“I don’t think it counts as cyberbullying if it’s through text,” Fuyumi says, frowning at the messages. “Wait, why don’t you block the number?” 

He does consider blocking the phone number at first, but then the threats and insults begin to get creative. He’s honestly tickled by a couple of them that he just lets the person go off. He even uses some of the insults when he has to talk to his father. 

“That’s not a good reason to let someone continue to harass you, Natsuo,” Fuyumi says, using her displeased teacher voice. “Wait, did you actually use some of these insults on dad?” 

“Yeah, but like the more PG ones,” Natsuo says. “He didn’t talk to me for a week when I called him a flaming dumpster fire of a man.” 

_“Natsuo.”_

“It’s true,” he says with a shrug. Before she can launch into another speech about how he should try to meet their dad half-way, he holds up a hand. “He’s the kind of person who thinks he’s entitled to everything, including us. He’s not entitled to my forgiveness, my kindness, or my time.” 

Fuyumi sighs, but thankfully says nothing.

“Plus, I’m trying in my own way,” he adds. “I didn’t tell him I hope that stupid flame beard burns his face off, even though I really wanted to. I'm showing real restraint here.” 

“Natsuo!” 

With a smirk, he shoots off a quick message to his harasser.

“Did you—?” Fuyumi’s voice falters as she leans over to read the message he just sent. “Natsuo, this person is threatening you. Why on earth would you ask them to meet you?” 

“Well, to first thank them, of course,” he responds, slipping his phone into his pocket. “And also to figure out who the hell they are and how they got my number.” 

* * *

“We’re going treasure hunting,” Mina declares at lunch, slamming her tray of food down on the table. 

Shinsou, Kaminari, Kirishima and Sero look at each other, then back at her. They are silent for a long moment. 

“Treasure hunting?” Kirishima finally asks, breaking the silence.

“No!” Kaminari cries, swatting at him. “Why did you ask her? We talked about this, Kirishima! Now we _have_ to go along with this!” 

“Well, it’s not like asking her a question legally binds us into doing whatever, well, that entails,” Shinsou says. 

“Honestly, it might as well,” Sero says, shoulders slumping. “Alright, Ashido, what is it this time? Are you trying to find out if Aizawa and Present Mic are dating again?” 

“Invading our teacher’s privacy isn’t very manly,” Kirishima chides. 

“But invading our classmate’s privacy is?” Shinsou asks. 

Kirishima blushes. “H-hey! That was a _mystery_ , not a romance, and solving mysteries is totally manly and respectful of people's privacy!” 

“Wait, what?” Kaminari frowns. “What are you talking about?” 

“Remember when Ashido wanted to stalk Todoroki, Midoriya and Watanabe to see if they were a throuple?” Sero says. 

“Uh, no?”

“First off all, it wasn’t to prove they were a throuple,” Mina counters. “Second of all, there’s totally something going on there, but we’ll deal with that another time.” 

At first, Mina believes there was an epic romance going on between Todoroki and Midoriya. After all, Todoroki has been staring at an oblivious Midoriya for weeks now (and honestly, he still kind of does), and made an intense declaration that he’ll surpass him before the start of the Sports Festival. Then things get _really_ interesting when she notices Watanabe starting to stare at Todoroki, and what’s more he starts staring back at her! It’s her two favourite tropes clashing together: Enemies to Lovers _and_ a Love Triangle. 

Sero frowns. “Isn’t that more like a Love Line?” 

“What do you mean?” Mina asks. 

“Well,” Sero pulls out a piece of paper and pencil and starts drawing a horrible rendition of their classmates. Underneath them, he strikes a line. “Watanabe likes Todoroki who likes Midoriya. See? It can’t be a triangle because Midoriya doesn’t like Watanabe like that, so it's a Love Line. ”

“OK, again, that’s not what the mystery there is about, and anyways that's a mystery for another time," Mina says, waving her hands. "This week, we need to go treasure hunting.”

There’s another long silence. 

“Treasure hunting?” Shinsou finally asks. 

“Shinsou!” Kaminari cries. “What did I _just_ say?” 

“It’s not like you listen to us, plus this sounds mildly interesting,” Shinsous says with a shrug. “Well, compared to that throuple thing.” 

“I thought you’d think so!” Mina slaps down a piece of old looking paper with a series of numbers and a few letters. “I found this earlier.” 

“Math?” Kirishima asks with a touch of worry in his voice. 

“No, these are coordinates,” Shinsou murmurs, lifting up the paper for a closer look. “You think by putting in these coordinates you’ll find treasure? Where’d you even get this?” 

“So, I’m kinda legally not allowed to tell you this,” Mina says quickly. “But anyway, check the group chat! The location of the coordinates are there. We’re heading there tonight.”

“Tonight?” Sero asks, pulling out his phone and opening up their group chat. “Wait, this is at an abandoned building. You want to go there _at night_?” 

“Wait,” Kaminari says. “No one is going to ask her about the fact that she can’t legally tell—” 

“Yep!” Mina chirps. “We’re meeting at midnight! Don’t be late!” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


They end up at the abandoned construction site some time after midnight. It’s clear that they’re not the first group to visit it, with garbage littered everywhere and graffiti decorating the incomplete brick walls. With the full moon hanging high over them, the exposed beams cast eerie shadows across the floor of the site. 

“Is that,” Shinsou frowns, squinting at the black mass lying on a pile of bricks in the middle of the site. “Is that a suitcase?” 

“Treasure!” Mina cries, rushing towards it. “Wait, no, you're right it’s a suitcase— _oh my god it smells disgusting!_ ”

They gather around the suitcase, plugging their noses. 

“Whatever the hell is in there, it’s definitely not a—dude, don’t touch it!” Sero cries, slapping Kaminari's outstretched hands. 

“What?” Kaminari says, holding his hands up. “I just want to see what’s inside.” 

“I think it might be a dead body,” Shinsou says quietly. 

“Bro!” Kirishima cries with wide eyes. “How do you know what a dead body smells like?” 

“I don’t know what a dead body smells like!” Shinsou retorts. “But c’mon, an abandoned building by the lake? A black suitcase and a weird smell?” 

“I think we should call the police,” Sero says, pulling out his phone. “You know, just in case it is a body.” 

The phone call is quick, the operator telling him that police and a Pro Hero will be dispatched to their location within the next twenty or so minutes. They aren’t required to stay on the scene, in fact the operator encourages them to go home. 

“Uh,” Mina murmurs, scratching the back of her head. “Sorry guys, I didn’t mean for all of this to happen.” 

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Kirishima says, patting her on the back. 

“Anyway, let’s get out of here,” Kaminari says, looking around them. “This place is creeping me out.” 

A few feet away, tucked behind an exposed beam, a figure watches them leave. 

* * *

“This year’s Sports Festival was so wild!” 

Akane looks up from her court documents to see two girls around Sakura’s age standing in front of her. 

“Did you see that invisible girl?” 

“No.” 

“I walked right into that,” the girl says with a tired sigh. “Anyway, apparently before the Sports Festival she could only make herself invisible. Rumour has it her Quirk, like, Awakened.” 

“Awakened? What’s that?”

“Uh, not too sure ‘cause I didn’t actually read the article about it, but it sounds like real shady stuff.” 

“Well, nothing beats that green haired guy. He’s like a little All-Might!” 

“No way, the wildest thing was that girl with _three_ Quirks! Did you see her destroy the stadium?”

“Yeah! That girl is so tiny! I couldn’t believe it.” 

Akane holds up her papers to cover her face. Her little Sakura and Midoriya were already making waves. She frowns a little at the girl’s mention at Sakura destroying the stadium. She would need to give her a talking to about being mindful of school property. 

_Speaking of destruction of property,_ she thinks, looking back down at her court documents. This would be her second encounter with the rising, and quite frankly reckless, Pro Hero Hawks. This time the young hotshot hero was responsible for the destruction of a young woman’s new recently opened business. The poor girl had taken on a high number of what turned out to be quite predatory loans in order to open up this business, and within a week the building she was renting out had been destroyed by the Pro-Hero. 

“You should seriously take a sabbatical or something,” Aoi tells her once over lunch. “Before you even say that lawyers don’t have sabbaticals, at least consider this: when was the last time you took a vacation?” 

When Akane tries to take time off, she thinks about the families, like her own, left broken by the very same people employed to protect them. The familiar swell of grief comes over her and she instead doubles her hours. She never wants what she went through when she lost her husband to happen to another family. To not only have to sit with the loneliness and grief of never seeing him again, but to have to fight, alone, for any form of justice against the man responsible for his death. It’s a hardship she wants no one to ever face. 

But it’s at the cost of spending time with her daughter, she’s coming to realize. Akane blinked and suddenly Sakura is in highschool, already on her way to becoming a hero. Her daughter is growing up, but not before her eyes. 

Does she feel alone? Akane wonders. Does she miss her?

“Oh my god,” one of the girls gasps, drawing Akane from her thoughts. “Did you hear about this? Apparently another Pro-Hero was found dead! They found his body in a suitcase.”

“Ugh, that is _so_ spooky. Any mention of who it might be?” 

“No leads yet apparently.” 

“That’s wild! This is like the seventeenth Pro Hero found dead!” 

“You think it’s a serial killer?” 

_Huh,_ Akane thinks. _A serial killer that only kills Pro Heroes?_

Maybe she would look into taking a year off. 

* * *

_“Next stop: Takoba Municipal Beach Park.”_

Natsuo asks his harasser to meet him at Takoba Beach because the last time he was there, a guy tried to sell him acid. Plus, he thinks with all the loose metal, if things escalate he can use a discarded pipe or something to defend himself. He sends his location to his friends and Fuyumi just in case (he also ignores their frantic phone calls and texts).

Imagine his surprise when he instead arrives at a pristine beach with couples all over the place. Jeez. His harasser will definitely get the wrong idea. 

He waits in the gazebo on the pier, watching the sun set. Now that he's thinking about it, he probably shouldn't have asked the person texting threats at him to meet him at a beach so late in the day. No wonder his friends and Fuyumi are blowing up his phone. 

A girl with pink hair sits down a few feet away from him. She’s on the phone, struggling to get a word in edgewise to whoever is on the other line. 

“Izuku— _seriously,_ it’s not a big deal!” the girl cries. “Ugh, this is why I didn’t want to tell you. No, I’m at Takoba Beach. Don’t come. Seriously—it’s fine. There’s literally tons of people around, and people do this all the time.” 

_Ah, she’s probably meeting someone for a date,_ he thinks with a shake of his head. She's probably meeting someone from an app or something. She’s lucky her friend is being sensible and careful on her behalf. You never know with people these days. 

Speaking of which, is Shoto dating now? He should probably have a talk with him one of these days. Well, no, probably not. That’d be awkward, right? _Hey, Shoto I know we, like, never talk or anything, but if you plan on dating anyone don’t be a creep, alright?_ Maybe he’ll get Fuyumi to have that talk with Shoto, after all she’s better at the whole family bonding thing. 

_Huh._ Natsuo pulls out his own phone and checks the time. His harasser is late. Really late. He shoots a quick text message to them asking where they are. Moments later, he hears a ping. He looks over at the girl. 

“OK, so people don’t do this exactly all the time,” the girl admits to the person on the other line. “Anyway, I can totally handle myself!” 

It…. _can’t_ be, right?

Natsuo calls his harasser, all while keeping his eyes on the girl. 

“Wait,” the pink-haired girl says, “I’m getting another call, one sec. Hello?” 

Natsuo drops his phone into the water. 

* * *

Koji stares at Fumikage. Fumikage stares at Katsuyu. Katsuyu stares at both of them—literally. One of their eye stalks looks at Koji, while the other looks at Fumikage. It’s very unnerving and is making Koji sweat. They’ve been doing this for about ten minutes. Wait. Koji looks at his watch and, no, it’s been twenty minutes. He doesn’t know how this happened. Well, no, he does know exactly how this happened. 

It happens like this: Fumikage is his first friend and tells him about some deeply, albeit incredibly bizarre, stories about his middle school life. His heart breaks for his friend when he shares his struggles controlling Dark Shadow and the subsequent alienation he faced because of it. Koji is crying at this point, because it’s all too much. He can definitely relate to feeling lonely and misunderstood. 

  
But then things get weird. Fumikage starts telling him about some rickety shop downtown owned by what Koji can best describe as a literal witch. This woman is the reason why Fumikage boasts the most impressive plant collection Koji has ever seen, and is likely the reason why he’s so interested in all things related to magic, or well, dark magic, anyway. 

Although he knows deep down in his heart Fumikage doesn’t need Koji to spill his own weird secrets, Koji feels a deep obligation to reciprocate. So he tells him about Katsuyu, and surprisingly Fumikage immediately wants to meet her. So, they visit Katsuyu’s tree, but the strange thing is when Katusyu speaks _Fumikage understands her_. There’s no need for Koji to translate. 

Koji checks his watch again. They’ve been standing and staring at each other in absolute silence for thirty minutes now. 

“This is a genjutsu,” Katusyu finally says. “You—you _cannot_ have the head of a bird, child. Tell me, are you a genjutsu master? How are you doing this to me?”

Genjutsu is that ninja mind magic that Katsuyu brought up before, Koji remembers. The slug’s obsession with ninjas is truly something that still baffles him. He doesn’t even understand how a slug knows about ninja, or magic. He expects this kind of talk from ravens, to be honest. 

“What,” Fumikage says. 

Koji sighs and wonders if maybe he should have brought Sakura instead. 

* * *

_“You!”_

The stranger sitting next to her is the guy she’s been harassing for weeks now. The same stranger who she absently thought is kind-of-hot. The kind-of-hot stranger who is now seizing Sakura by the shoulders and loudly exclaiming at her.

She mouth opens and closes several times, words failing her. She looks over at the water and briefly considers jumping. 

“I can’t believe this,” the guy says, running a hand through his hair. It looks really soft. “God, how old are you? Fourteen? Who taught you how to cuss like that? Do I need to call Child Protective Services— _whoa, whoa, hey, don’t try jump into the water!_ ” 

“I’m just—let me die here,” Sakura says, trying to wiggle out of his hold. Her face is bright red, but she doesn’t know if it’s because she’s embarrassed or because this stranger has incredibly soft hands. Probably both. “I’m dead. Goodbye.”

“Uh—” 

_“I’m dead.”_

“OK, look, let’s, ah, start with introductions, alright?” the guy says, releasing her. “Call me Natsuo.” 

“Sakura.” 

“Alright, Sakura,” Natsuo says. “Start from the beginning. How did you get my number? More importantly, who the hell burned your hair?” 

It takes her two weeks to make the connection between Todoroki Shoto and the Zombie/Ghost Man. Instead of napping in class (she’s dealt with Aizawa, the utter hypocrite, and his capture weapon far too many times to try to sleep) she stares at him, trying to place why he looks so familiar. It’s only when she imagines Zombie/Ghost Man without all those burns and stitches that she starts to see a resemblance. It’s really the eyes that are the biggest tell. 

Then she starts researching all the fire users in the city, hoping to find a real connection of some sort. Although most of the city contains fire users, according to the Quirk Registry (why this is public knowledge, Sakura does not know) it is really only three members from the Todoroki family that utilizes the flames in a fashion similar to Zombie/Ghost Man. 

Researching the Todoroki family leads her down a very interesting, albeit incredibly heart-wrenching, rabbit hole. She learns about the Quirk marriage between Todoroki Rei and Todoroki Enji, which is its own horrifying revelation. The idea of people coming together and producing children for the sole purpose of ensuring they have powerful Quirks makes her sick to her stomach. 

Worse is what she learns about the eldest Todoroki son. It takes her several weeks to find, but eventually she discovers that the eldest son, Touya, died in an accident. There are no details to be found about the circumstances surrounding the accident, but it makes her think back to what Zombie/Ghost Man said to her when she asked him why he was there. 

_“Not visitin’ anyone per se,”_ he said at the time. _“More like remindin’ myself of somethin’.”_

When she tells all this to Natsuo, his first inclination is to check if she’s got drugs in her system. 

“I’m in medical school, you know,” he says to her, holding onto her chin and leaning in way too close. “This beach used to be really sketchy. Did someone sell you drugs here? Did they sell you acid?” 

“I’m not on any drugs,” Sakura insists, avoiding his eyes. Why did everyone think she was on acid?

“You think _my dead brother_ is still alive,” Natsuo says flatly. He lifts her chin up. “Stick out your tongu— _aaaaah_!”

Suddenly there’s a fist flying towards Natsuo’s face.

“Wait, Izuku!” Sakura cries, but it’s too late. “Izuku, _no!”_

Izuku lands a clean punch to Natsuo’s face, sending him straight into the water. 

“Sacchan, are you OK?” Izuku asks, checking over her. 

“I’m fin—”

“I knew this was a bad idea! That guy looked totally shady. What on earth was he about to do to you? Why’d he ask you to take out your—”

“Izuku!” Sakura cries, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him. “I’m fine! That wasn’t Zombie Ghost Man, that was Todoroki’s brother!” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  


“I am so, so, _so_ sorry,” Izuku says for the nth time.

“Midoriya seriously, it’s fine,” Natsuo insists. “You’re a really good friend, if anything. Plus, Sakura totally healed me up. It’s like my nose wasn’t broken at all!” 

“I—I am so, so, so, _so_ sorry,” Izuku repeats.

“Seriously, man, it’s fine,” Natsuo says with a grin. “Anyway, we doing this?” 

If you told Sakura that she would be spending her Thursday night trying to dig up the ashes of the dead sibling of her classmate’s kind-of-hot older brother and Izuku, she would laugh at you. She doesn’t really know how things escalated to this so quickly. 

“Wait here and do not move,” she instructs. “I need to greet my dad really quick!” 

She disappears to her family’s grave before either of them can say another word. With Koji’s help, she managed to get Fumikage to take her seriously and actually look at the weeping willow by her father’s tree. He found no spirits. Since then, Sakura’s been thinking about the strange memory she’s sure came from the Before. 

She prays quietly at her father’s grave for a brief moment before staring up at the weeping willow. Noting that the tree has yet to make its move on her, she thinks back to that strange vision. 

“Water and Earth, huh,” she murmurs, gathering her chakra together. “Wait, what are the hand seals for this?” 

“Tiger, Ram, Snake,” Inner supplies. 

Sakura blinks. _Wow, nice to have you back after, what? Weeks of radio silence?_

“Just be careful,” Inner warns. 

“Whatever,” Sakura mutters, hands moving to form the seals. After a beat she looks around. “Seriously? Nothing— _whoa!_ ” 

There are several tree saplings at her feet, growing at an abnormally quick rate. Within minutes the trees grow into their expected mature height, some even standing taller than the weeping willow that looms over her father’s grave.

“So…..I just _made_ trees?” Sakura stares dumbly at the now fully grown trees. “Alright, we’re filing that away for now.” 

“ _What?”_ For a disembodied voice, Inner sure knows how to emote. “Listen, do you even know what you just did? It’s the moku—!”

“Yeah, no,” Sakura says, quickly weaving around the trees as she makes her way back to Izuku and Natsuo. “We’re going to just leave whatever that is alone until I have time to process it. Yeah.” 

“And here we are,” Natsuo says, leading them to the Todoroki family grave. “Are you both ready?” 

“Yeah, no biggie. We’re just opening up your brother’s grave,” Izuku says, looking like he’s on the verge of having a heart attack. “It’s fine. This—this is fine. This is totally fine. We’re fine. I’m fine. This is fine. You’re fine. She’s fine. We’re all fine.” 

“Midoriya,” Natsuo says, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Chill out.” 

Sakura would almost agree if not for the fact that they are about to dig up the remains of his older brother. 

Izuku nods rapidly. “I’m chill. I’m cool, even. This is cool. I’m cool—”

“Midoriya takes one deep breath in through the nose,” Natsuo instructs. “Alright, great. Now hold for ten seconds. Perfect. Now breath out through the mouth.” 

Izuku follows his instructions, looking almost calm. But then he looks down at the grave they’re about to dig up and his breathing becomes laboured. 

“OK, take another deep breath, but like, do it in that corner,” Natsuo says, steering him towards a small maple tree a few feet away. “Don’t turn back around.” 

Sakura tunes them out, squatting down to the ground. She channels chakra into her hands and inserts them into the soil. She feels around the earth until her hands find a large, rounded smooth object. She pulls out a beautifully decorated urn. 

Natsuo, who now stands behind her, is staring at her with wide eyes. 

She raises the urn at him. “Is this it?” 

“What the fuck, Sakura.” 

“What?” 

“What was that?” 

“Uh, is this the wrong urn?” 

“Shut up about the urn!” Natsuo cries, arms flailing wildly. “What the hell was _that_?” 

From his little corner, Izuku excitedly launches into a complicated explanation about the new application of her Quirk’s repellant force. 

Natsuo stares at him. “What the fuck, Midoriya.” 

Izuku flinches. “S-sorry!” 

“No, you don’t need to apologize,” Natsuo says quickly. “You—you two are something else, you know that? Anyway c’mere, man. It’s the moment of truth.”

Natsuo takes the urn from Sakura and sets it onto the ground. As he opens it, Sakura feels her heart rapidly beating. Her hand find Izuku’s, threading their fingers together. His hand feels clammy, just like her own. 

Natsuo looks into the urn for a long moment. It's complete silence for a while until a startled laugh escapes him. 

“Wh—what is it?” Izuku asks, squeezing Sakura’s hand. 

Natsuo holds the urn out to them. 

It’s empty. 

* * *

One would think given the fact that Izuku is keeping the secret of the century, he would be a little better about the whole Todoroki family situation. One would be wrong. 

Sakura lies on his bed, staring up at the All-Might poster on the ceiling. “You know, now that he’s our teacher this is a little creepy.” 

“We—we dug up a body!" Izuku, who is spinning around in his desk chair, grips his hair and ignores her comment entirely. "This is a crime! We’re—we are _criminals_!” 

“There was no body,” Sakura corrects. “And there was no digging, technically.”

“I am an accessory to grave robbing!” Izuku wails. “What would my mom think? God, what would _All-Might_ think?!” 

“Do you want to try that breathing exercise again?” Sakura says, trying to remember what Natsuo said again. “Uh, deep breath in through the nose, Izuku.” 

Her phone starts ringing as Izuku begins the breathing exercises. It’s Natuso. 

“Hello?” 

_“Are you with Midoriya?”_

“Yeah.” 

_“Are the two of you alone?”_

“Is your mom around, Zu?” Izuku shakes his head. “Yeah, we’re alone.” 

_“Put me on speaker,”_ he says. _“Am I on speaker?”_

“Yeah,” Sakura says, setting her phone onto Izuku’s bed. 

Izuku settles down next to her. “Hello Todoro—”

_“Don’t call me that.”_

“O-oh! S-sorry!” 

_“Sorry—I just. Sorry. I told you, Natsuo is fine,”_ he says _. “Anyway, so listen, it looks like my brother might not, uh, be dead. Maybe. I’m not sure.”_

Sakura sits up on the bed. “So I was right!”

_“Anyway, do you know what this means?”_

“Your brother is…. alive?” Sakura asks. 

“We’re going to jail!” Izuku wails. 

_“No, it means we’ve got a mystery!”_ Natsuo cries excitedly. 

“You're oddly chipper about investigating whether your dead brother is actually alive,” Sakura notes. 

“We’re going to commit more crimes!” Izuku weeps. 

Natuso ignores them both.

 _“From what I could remember as a kid, his Quirk did some serious damage to him, but I never knew the extent of it. The bastard probably has more information about it at his other place near his agency,”_ he says. _“Alright, Junior Detective Club! We’ll meet downtown by the bastard’s agency at midnight!”_

Sakura frowns. “Junior Detective Club?” 

_“Well, obviously, I’m Kudo Shinichi, and since you’re both literal children you’re my Junior Detective Club, ”_ Natuso explains. _“What, have you never seen Detective Conan?”_

“No,” Sakura says. 

“My mom used to watch it,” Izuku offers. 

Natsuo gasps. _“Oh my god! That’s a classic! What are you kids today even watching these days?”_

“Wait,” Izuku says. “If _we’re_ the Junior Detectives, and _you’re_ Kudo Shinichi, does that make Endeavour Mori Kogoro?”

Natsuo hangs up on them. 

* * *

Tsuyu and Ochako stare at Todoroki. Todoroki stares at Izuku. Izuku stares daggers at Sakura, who for some reason is sitting across the cafeteria today. Sakura stares at a wall, pretending she does not feel Izuku's glare. 

“What’s going on?” Ochako whispers to Tsuyu.

With Tenya taking time off school today to address a family emergency, all three (but especially Izuku) are taken by surprise by Todoroki of all people sitting in Tenya's usual seat. 

Tsuyu shrugs. “Todoroki, please don’t take this the wrong way, but why are you here?” 

Todoroki looks over at her. “I have a question.” 

“Which is….?” Ochako prompts when he doesn’t continue. 

He turns back to face Izuku. “Midor—” 

“I—I need to go!” Izuku stands suddenly, and then flees the cafeteria. He’s speeding down the halls of UA towards the infirmary, a place Todoroki wouldn’t likely find him.

God, he’d need to have several words with Sakura and Natsuo. How on earth do they expect him to not only deal with the severity of their criminal activities, but also keep this from poor—

“Why are you running,” he hears Todoroki say and— _he’s right behind him!_

“I am not running!” Izuku screams, running even faster than before.

“Midoriya, please stop running,” Todoroki says, his deadpan voice is _right by his ear and oh no_ —

“Wah!” Izuku cries, his hands moving involuntarily and shoving Todoroki right through a wall. “I am so, _so_ sorry!” Then, to a nearby onlooker he cries, “Please go get Recovery Girl!”

“Why do I need to get Recov—?” the person starts to ask, but Izuku’s already gone. 

  
  
  


“Midoriya, my man, you keep assaulting the wrong Todoroki,” is the first thing Natsuo tells him when Izuku asks if his brother is alright. 

“W-wrong T-todoroki?” Izuku asks. 

“Yeah,” Natsuo says. “Next time punch the bastard into a wall, OK? Or better yet, break his nose and _then_ punch him through a wall.” 

“OK, you need to stop before Izuku goes into cardiac arrest,” Sakura warns, fixing Natsuo with a look. 

“Right, right,” Natsuo says, staring up at the imposing skyscraper before them. “We gotta stick to the plan of breaking into that bastard’s apartment. Can't get distracted.” 

“He lives there?” Sakura asks. 

“Yep,” Natsuo says, popping the ‘p’. “It’s where he usually stays when he’s got a big case or whatever.” 

“We’re breaking into your dad’s apartment?” Izuku clutches his chest.

“Yeah, didn’t I tell you on the phone?” Natsuo squints at him. “Midoriya, are you having a heart attack right now?” 

“No,” Izuku says, looking like he’s on the verge of having a stroke. 

“Wait, your dad doesn’t have a case going on right now, right?” Sakura asks. 

“Nah, my sister said he’s at the main house.” 

“We’re going to jail,” Izuku declares. 

Sakura stares at him. “Izuku, this is literally _not_ a crime.” 

“Yeah,” Natsuo agrees. “I’m technically going to inherit this apartment someday. Well, if I’m not disowned first.” 

“Jail,” Izuku wails. 

Sakura sighs. “Well, let’s get it over it.” 

“Right!” Natsuo takes a dramatic step forward. “After all, only one truth prevails!”

Sakura and Izuku stare at him, blinking rapidly.

“It’s what Conan always says—you know what?” Natsuo sighs. “Forget it, let's just go already.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *sakura literally cyberbullies natsuo on a daily basis*  
> natsuo: ok, first of all, thank you—
> 
> also while todoroki was chasing midoriya, if you did not immediately think of that iconic clip from a nollywood movie where a man is shouting, “why are you running?” to a screaming woman then i am a failure as a person!!! 
> 
> also apologies in advance if there are errors, will go back tomorrow to fix any i missed! 
> 
> next time: three dumbasses try to break into an apartment. will they find the clues they are looking for? probably not.


	7. nocere facile est, prodesse difficile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is easy to do harm, difficult to do good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we’re veering waaay off canon from here on out (not that we've been following canon closely lol). 
> 
> tw for this chapter: there are mentions of child abuse.

Nezu lifts the teacup to his mouth, taking a long sip. His other paw flips through the folder on Hagakue Tooru. What a strange turn of events. He doesn’t expect bubbly, excitable Tooru to experience an Awakening. While the young girl doesn’t seem to have experienced a near-death situation, he still has her check in with the school’s Quirk Counsellor and has her sit down with him. It’s after only a few minutes of talking with her that he decides to have her meet with him regularly. Their sessions are going well, and he’s pleased to note her becoming more honest and vocal about how she’s actually feeling. There’s still the mystery of her Awakening, more specifically what triggered it. It’s still unclear, and Tooru offers no explanations, either. At least it’s clear the cause wasn’t a near death experience.

He moves onto Bakugou Katsuki’s folder next. His time spent with the boy has been good. It’s taken weeks, but he thinks he’s making a breakthrough with him. Certainly that motley crew of his has tamed the boy’s explosive behaviours. What are the monikers he provided them, again? Shitty Hair, Shitty Blondie, Baldy, and Shitshitkura. He wonders for a moment if Bakugou has one for him. He sets his teacup back down with a little more force than he intends. No. Certainly not. But, perhaps their next lesson will be around decorum. Just in case.

 _Speaking of therapy,_ Nezu thinks as he holds up Ashido Mina’s folder. He still can’t believe Aizawa left his Pro Hero documents on the desk of his classroom of all places. He would have to give the man a lecture about keeping his two jobs separate. In an ideal world Aizawa would only be a teacher (and certainly the pay he gets at U.A is more than enough for him to work just the one job), but Nezu knows the impulse to be a Hero is something not even the ever logical Aizawa can stamp down. 

This serial killer case that’s pulled in a number of Pro Heroes must be keeping him if he’s slipped up like this. But knowing Aizawa, if Nezu were to reprimand him, the man would probably say something like, _yes, I had mistakenly left my case file in my classroom which I should have not done, but it was there for a couple minutes at most. I made the rational assumption that my problem children would leave my belongings alone._

Nezu still can’t believe they managed to find the body before the actual professionals did using such a minor piece of evidence. He chuckles to himself. While they are problem children, this new class of heroes will certainly become something. He's sure of it.

Nezu also can’t believe Aizawa of all people would support his decision to allow the work-study placements to continue. When it was discovered that it was U.A students who found the body on top of the ongoing PR nightmare that came from the villain attack on U.A grounds, even faculty were starting to agree with the calls to cancel the work-study placements. 

“A change of scenery with trusted Pro Heroes will do them good,” Aizawa had stressed at the time. 

Sighing, Nezu moves on to his next headache. The one many are calling the Hero Killer. Unlike most villains, civilians aren’t too frightened by him. Worse, they’re starting to come around to his beliefs thanks to the unknown author of a very popular anti-Hero blog (the very same author that Nezu for cannot find the identity of, which is a curious, curious thing.) In fact, he’s pretty sure it’s the anti-Hero blogger that popularized the nickname Hero Killer.

For the past few weeks, instead of blogging about the damage a Pro Hero has done to a small business or property, the blogger publishes some very damning information about each Pro Hero suspected to have been killed by the Hero Killer. It’s the latest kill that actually shifts public perception on Hero Killer. It even starts a national debate on the question of whether Pro Heroes have too much power. More extreme individuals start to ask the question if murder is the only true way to hold corrupt Pro Heroes accountable.

 _It’s the start of something horrifying,_ Nezu thinks with certainty. 

He can only hope he can try his best to prepare his staff and students for it. 

* * *

_When the fuck did this beach get so clean?_ Dabi wonders, walking over to a gazebo at the end of the pier. The last time he went to this beach, it was covered in discarded junk and filled with people who look as shady as him. Now the beach is actually kind of nice. Families and shit probably came here. Thankfully with it being the ass-crack of dawn, the place is empty.

Dabi pulls out a cigarette and lights it with his finger. The blue flame dances across his fingertips before he snuffs it out.

What is he going to do now? He’s got, what? Maybe a hundred dollars on him. He’s found a spot to squat in, but who knows how it’ll be before someone buys up the property and turns it into something useless like a Hero Agency. Should he go back west? At least there he knows he’s got a place to crash that isn’t crawling with pests. No. No, he wouldn’t bother the old lady again. He owes her too much already.

Plus, it’s kind of nice to be back home despite the many changes to the city. He sees the ghosts of his childhood overlaying the new shiny building everywhere. The old park he used to run away is now a sleek grocery store specializing in specialty foods to support Quirk development. The ice cream shop he’d go to with his mom whenever the old bastard was away on a work trip is now a stylish costume shop for Pro Heroes.

Despite Tokyo being the undisputed commercial centre of Japan, over the years it’s started to lose economic ground to Musutafu. Musutafu has always been herald as an economic hub for the hero industry, but now? Now with society obsessed with all things hero-related, what was once a small-time industry has become a global empire, with Japan at the centre of it thanks to Musutafu.

Plus with the advent of Quirks, jobs had and continue to be created, shifted, changed, or abandoned altogether in some cases. Musutafu is always at the forefront of revolutionizing job sectors to accommodate people’s powers, with the creation of the Hero industry its crown jewel.

What many call “revolutionary” Dabi just sees the same old bullshit. If people could not become heroes, they were put in a pigeonhole. Superhuman strength, but not quite like All-Might? Welcome to a life of back-breaking construction work. Got horns, scales, or funny looking skin? Kiss any chance at a gig in mainstream showbiz goodbye.

The hero industry also informs the city’s culture, making Musutafu into a place filled with of conservative, false do-gooder ideals. It’s made the city boring. And while the growing nightlife is now changing this image a little, Tokyo still remains as the place to be if you’re looking for culture, energy, and excitement. Musutafu may have the bread, but it’s Tokyo that has the circuses.

His eyes look up to the skies, which glow a soft pink as the sun slowly rises over the horizon. Whenever he sees pink, he thinks about that weird ass kid from the cemetery. Absently, he presses a hand to his chest. He’s still startled to not have it feel even a little bit tender. That kid has one of hell of a Quirk. It’s a damn shame they live in a society that couldn’t see the value of it. 

The brat reminds him a little of that weird old woman. The only two people in this shitty world he actually owes a favour. Well, the old lady, he owes a pretty big favour compared to the one he owes the kid. He wonders about her from time to time. She is possibly the weirdest woman he’s ever met, with her teas, crystals, and annoying need to be indirect about everything. He wonders if she’s still alive.

He used to think there were lots of people like that old woman, the kind of people who’d help you, no questions asked. Over the years, he learns very quickly that in this superhero society, that brand of kindness didn’t exist anywhere else. 

“In a hell like this? That kind of thinkin’ will get ya killed,” he mutters, dropping his cigarette into the water.

While he’s here, he might as well get started on the three favours he owes the old woman. What he should be owing the old lady is something equivalent to his life (and he even offers to kill someone for her), but in the end she only asks him to do three things, all which are bizarre as shit. He pulls out the small note from his jacket pocket and reads the first task on the list. He's read it thousands of times and it's still the weirdest thing he's ever read. 

“Give a bag of umeboshi to some fuckin’ magical snail?” he scoffs, and tucks the note back into his pocket. “Weird ass lady.” 

* * *

The most difficult and frightening thing Fuyumi has ever done is to have hope in her father. Hope that he is capable of changing for the better. She holds this fragile hope close to her heart each and every time she extends an olive branch to the man. He surprises her sometimes, acting almost as a father is supposed to act. But of course it’s only for a brief moment before he's back to his old ways. She almost wants to laugh at herself because isn’t this what every victim of abuse has longs for? Hope that things will get better this time, only to have the old cycle of abuse to begin all over again.

She thinks about moving out all the time. She almost did the day that Natsuo moved out. She went out and finally bought an apartment, a one-bedroom with a den. In the end, she couldn’t leave because as much as she’s afraid of her father, she’s even more afraid of leaving Shoto alone with him. 

She’ll leave, though. Once Shoto turns eighteen, she’ll ask him to leave with her. She’s already converted the den into a small bedroom for him (plus, renting out a two bedroom apartment allows her to save so much more money.) 

In the meantime, she tries her hand at making things bearable at the Todoroki household. She tries to host family dinners, which are always awkward, silent affairs. She tries to limit Shoto’s time at home when their father is around, encouraging him to study at the library or hang out with friends after school. It breaks her heart when he tells her he doesn’t have any friends.

Sometimes, when it’s just her and her father at the house, he’ll join her in the sitting room, him reading files for an active case he’s working on, her reviewing her lesson plan for school. Those quiet moments are nice. She feels that fragile hope in her swell at a little bit and starts to think that maybe her father’s changing for the better. Maybe they’ll finally, finally have a chance at being a real family. But then he’ll ask her where Shoto is, and then tsk and mutter that the boy should be training when she tells him he’s at the library studying.

Fuyumi snaps from her thoughts when she feels her phone buzz in her pocket. It’s a text from Shoto telling her he’ll be home late. She quickly texts him that she left dinner for him in the fridge. As she makes her way to her room, she passes the entryway and spots her father getting ready to leave.

“I forgot something at the apartment,” he says, answering the question in her eyes. 

“I—I can get it for you!”

“No need.”

“No, really, I can,” she says, words stumbling over each other. “I need to head downtown anyway to pick up some things for my lesson tomorrow.”

“But it’s midnight.” 

“There’s a twenty-four hour craft store downtown.” 

The question of _why_ _is there a twenty-four hour craft store in this city_ goes unsaid. Instead, a long, awkward silence floats between them.

“Let’s go together then,” he offers.

“No!” Fuyumi feels her heart stop at the sharp look her father gives her. “I—I mean n-no, um, let me, um, go get changed first.”

She doesn’t wait for his answer, instead she bolts upstairs. She frantically calls Natsuo, who of course doesn’t answer. Oddly though, her calls go straight to voicemail. Wait, shoot. Didn’t he drop his phone in the pier a few days ago? What’s his new number again—?

“Fuyumi!” her father calls from downstairs. “Hurry up!”

* * *

Endeavour's place is a stark contrast from the sleek, modern feel of the condo. It’s very traditional, with tatami flooring, shōji-style windows, and even a tokonoma set into the far wall of the living room. It’s very sparsely furnished. Sakura spots no photos anywhere, not even one of Endeavour. 

“Home, sweet home,” Natsuo says, snapping Sakura from her thoughts. “Alright, let’s get to searching. Midoriya, you and I will check the bedroom. Sakura, think you can handle the living room on your own?”

Izuku starts mumbling to himself, but his voice is so low that Sakura can only catch a couple words. She thinks she hears him say, “not Plus Ultra at all.”

“Can you give us a moment?” Sakura asks Natsuo.

He nods. “I’ll be in the bastard’s room. Take your time.”

In terms of nosey people in her life, Izuku ranks second only after Aoi. He loves butting into everyone’s business, and recklessly so. He always tells her it’s a hero job to solve people’s problems. It gets worse once they attend U.A., as now he uses their class lessons as further proof that his meddling is good. It’s taken a lot to get him to shift from insecure into audacious, even if his behaviour borders on a little unhinged. Sometimes, though, he falls back to that insecure, fearful boy she first met. Like right now.

“Izuku,” she says, nudging him. “A little B&E and grave robbing isn’t the end of the world.”

He gives her a flat look. OK, so maybe humour isn’t the most appropriate approach right now. She racks her brain for some encouraging words. 

_Uh, a little help, Inner?_

“Just tell him he’ll find some exclusive information on Endeavour.”

_That’s…..that’s a little messed up, Inner._

“Just do it.”

“Izuku,” she tries again, “Aren’t you always going on about how little information you can find about Endeavour? Now might be your only chance to find some info for your Hero Analysis for the F—”

Izuku is already gone.

“He’s a bit of a stalker, that one,” Inner mutters.

 _Yeah, we’re dealing with that later,_ Sakura decides.

Re-focusing her attention to the task at hand, she regards the living room. It’s simple, with just a long wooden table and two red zabuton around it. On the table is a yellow manila folder. Sakura settles onto one of the zabuton and opens up the folder. Inside is a detailed active investigation on a potential serial killer in Musutafu and other neighbouring cities. Sakura sits cross-legged on the floor as she reads through the documents. Apparently the killer targets Pro Heroes, and is inspiring others to do so. Recently, a Pro Hero was found stuffed in a suitcase with a note that said, “those who wield power without conviction deserve death.”

 _Wait,_ Sakura thinks, trying to remember where she'd seen the Pro Hero's name before. _Wasn't this guy being investigated for corruption?_

If she remembers correctly, he was apparently forcing businesses in the neighbourhood he patrolled to pay him a personal "tax” to receive his protection from villains, and actually made small-time villains mess up businesses that failed to do so. 

“Those who wield power without conviction deserve death, huh?” she murmurs to herself. 

Why did that phrase sound so familiar? She feels like she’s read that somewhere before—

“What’s that?” Sakura nearly jumps at the sound of Izuku’s voice. “Sorry!”

“It’s fine.” Sakura really, really needs to get better at sensing. “It’s, uh, a case file. Apparently there’s a serial killer targeting Pro Heroes.”

Izuku frowns, and gets that look in his eye when he’s trying to figure something especially difficult out. 

“Seriously?” Natsuo’s head pokes out from the short hallway leading to the kitchen. “That’s wild.”

“Did you guys find anything?” Sakura put the documents back into the folder. “Because I didn’t.”

“Nope,” Natsuo says with a sigh, sitting down next to Sakura. “Maybe his office has something.”

“His office,” Sakura repeats. “Where all of his hundreds of employees are at all hours of the day.”

“We can totally do it!” Nasuo declares, pumping his fist into the air. “We just need to go during the graveyard shift where there’s the least amount of staff, and on a night that the bastard has a day off.”

“Well, it can’t be any time soon,” Izuku says, taking a seat on Sakura’s other side. “We have our work-study placements starting next week, so we won’t be around.”

Sakura feels a shot of pride at Izuku finally taking control of the situation. Look at her little leader!

"You're really embarrassing," Inner mutters. Sakura ignores her. 

“Ooh, who are you guys being paired up with?” Natsuo asks.

“Gran Torino,” Izuku says.

“Edgeshot,” Sakura says.

“Who and who?”

There’s the sound of something in the background. It sounds like it’s coming from the hallway. It’s a high-pitched voice, and it sounds frantic. Sakura’s never used chakra to heighten her hearing, but that’s possible right?

“You don’t know Edgeshot?” Izuku looks appalled. “Gran Torino I can get because he’s retired, but Edgeshot is a top five Pro Hero!”

The high-pitched voice gets closer, and now she can hear a deep voice, too. She still can't make out what they're saying. 

Natsuo shrugs. “I don’t keep up with Pro Heroes.”

“Did you guys hear that?” Sakura asks. 

They go quiet and listen. 

“We are now approaching apartment 3205, and quite quickly, huh?” 

“Why do you keep saying that, Fuyumi? Are sure you’re alright?” 

"I am fine!" Fuyumi sounds strained. "I am just remarking that we are quickly making our way to apartment 3205!"

“Oh shit!” Natsuo cries. “Fuyumi’s here with the bastard.”

Izuku looks over at Sakura to say something, but she’s gone, replaced by a puff of smoke. 

“Did she just abandon us?” Natsuo shrills with outrage. “She….she just abandoned us! What the fuc—?!”

Sakura returns, though this time there’s thankfully no puff of smoke. “I’m sorry, that was a reflex.”

Natsuo points an accusing finger at her. “You—you abandoned us!”

“We don’t have time for this!” Izuku hisses. “We need to go!”

“How?” Natsuo asks. 

“The window,” Sakura replies.

Izuku nods and makes his way quickly towards it. 

“The window?” Natuso looks at them with wide eyes. “Are you forgetting we’re on the thirty-second floor— _oh my god put me down, put me down, put me doooooown!_ ”

* * *

Something makes Shoto stop and look up at the skyscraper in front of him for a moment. When he looks up he sees Watanabe carrying both Midoriya and his brother over her shoulders as she quickly jumps out of what he is pretty sure is his father’s apartment. She lands a few feet away from him.

“I’m dead,” he hears his brother wheeze as he clambers away from Sakura. He lies on the ground like a starfish. “You killed me, Sakura.”

“That was awesome!” Izuku cries as Sakura carefully sets him down. “You gotta show me how—uh, Todoroki?”

Shoto nods at him. “Hello.”

“Shoto?” Natsuo sits up. “What are you doing here?”

“What are you doing with Watanabe and Midoriya?” Shoto asks instead.

“It’s, um,” Natsuo scratches the back of his neck. “It’s kind of complicated?”

“How about we all get some tea at my place?” Sakura suggests suddenly. “Your brother can explain there.”

* * *

"Did you hear somethi—?" 

Fuyumi literally leaps into the apartment the second it’s unlocked. She sees the yellow manila folder in the living room and grabs it before her father can even take his shoes off. 

_“Here-it-is-let’s-go!”_ she squeaks, stuffing the folder into his hands, and shoving him right out the door. Then she bolts down the hallway towards the elevator. 

“Are you sure you’re OK, Fuyumi?” her father calls after her, locking up the apartment. 

_“Totally-fine-let’s-go-long-day!”_

* * *

When they arrive at Watanabe’s home, a woman, who Shoto thinks might be her mother, opens the door and regards them for a long moment before bursting into tears.

“My little Sakura is finally a rebellious teenager,” Watanabe’s mother weeps. “Look at you coming home at 2AM with some random guys and Izuku! I’m so pro—!”

“Ignore her,” Watanabe says, pushing past her mother.

Shoto is a little startled at how she’s treating her mother, but says nothing. 

“Oi, don’t be a brat!” The woman lightly smacks Watanabe’s retreating back.

Shoto tries to stop himself from flinching, but from the way he feels Natsuo's eyes on him he realizes he isn't successful.

“Please come in!” Watanabe's mother exclaims. 

As they’re ushered inside, Natsuo reaches over and places a hand on his shoulder. He squeezes once, and then removes his hand. Shoto can still feel Natsuo’s eyes on him, but he avoids his gaze. When they enter the living room, he sits down at the far end of the couch, away from where everyone else sits.

“I’ll get the tea ready,” Watanabe’s mother says. 

“No, it’s fine, they’re my guests after all,” Watanabe says, getting up from her seat. “Plus, don’t you have some designs to finish?”

“Don’t remind me,” she groans. She looks at Natsuo, then Shoto. “Gentlemen, my sincerest apologies, but duty calls. I hope this isn’t the last time I see you….?”

“Natsuo,” his brother supplies. “And that’s my little brother, Shoto.”

“Well, Natsuo and Shoto, make yourself at home,” she says. “And Izuku, feel free to spend the night. You should probably call Inko, though. She's called here like twenty times and I could only come up with so many excuses." 

Shoto blinks. What kind of mother lies to another mother about the whereabouts of their child? The Watanabe family is sure strange. 

“Doing that now, Aoi-nee,” Midoriya says sheepishly, pulling out his phone to presumably call his mother. “I’ll be right back.”

Oh. Maybe this woman is Watanabe’s sister. When Shoto hears Aoi gasp, he realizes he said that out loud. 

“You’re officially my favourite, Shoto!” Aoi exclaims, winking at him before disappearing upstairs. 

“And then there were two,” Natsuo says, looking over at Shoto. “So, how have you been, little bro?”

“What are you doing with Midoriya and Watanabe?” 

“Always getting straight to business, huh?” Natsuo leans back into the couch, staring at the far wall.

Shoto looks over to see what he’s staring at. It’s a picture of Watanabe and Midoriya when they were kids, the two of them smiling widely and holding up lanterns. The entire wall is covered with family photos, Shoto realizes. Many of them feature Midoriya.

Shoto stares down at his hands, noting that they've formed into fists. 

“I think Touya’s alive,” Natsuo says suddenly. When Shoto looks up at him, he’s still looking at the picture of Watanabe and Midoriya. “Well, no, I definitely _know_ he's alive. You’ve never met him, but he was our older brother. He died before you were born, or at least that’s what I always thought.”

Shoto knows only a little bit about Touya from the stories Fuyumi tells him. “Why does this concern Midoriya and Watanabe?”

“Well, Sakura’s met him apparently,” Natsuo turns to look at him now. “He's really different now, but she could tell he’s a Todoroki from his eyes.”

“So she didn’t want your phone number?”

“ _You_ gave her my phone number?”

“She said you owed her a favour,” Shoto says, unclenching his hands. "But I guess she was talking about Touya." 

Midoriya reappears then, looking thoroughly chastised. Watanabe arrives then, too, holding up a tray of tea and cups.

“I’m sleeping over,” he tells her quietly, taking the tray from her hands.

“You know where the futon is, right?”

“Of course,” he says with a small smile. “Don’t worry, you don’t have to set it up for me.”

“Good because you know I hate doing that,” she mutters, but she sports a smile of her own.

Midoriya sets the tray down onto the coffee table, and he and Watanabe start pouring the tea for the four of them. Shoto watches them with a feeling in his chest he can’t quite place. With those two he always feels out of his element, but tonight especially so. 

“Hope you guys like jasmine,” Watanabe says, setting a cup down in front of Shoto. “We’re not really a sencha household, unfortunately.”

“It’s fine,” Shoto says. “Thanks.”

A long silence settles over them as everyone waits for their tea to cool down. It’s not a bad silence, Shoto decides. Not like the silences at home.

Shoto is one to break the silence first.

“Please start from the very beginning,” he says. “I’d like to know everything about,” he gestures at the three of them, “This.”

“Well, apparently _this_ is a Junior Detective Club,” Watanabe says before taking a small sip of her tea. She nearly spits it out when Midoriya elbows her. “OK, so, I guess it started when I met your brother at a cemetery.”

“You met Touya _at a cemetery?_ ” Natsuo sits up, staring at her incredulously. “What the hell, Sakura?”

Watanabe ignores him and continues with her story. Natsuo and Midoriya interject here and there to add in their perspectives. It’s nearly morning by the time they finish talking. The strange feeling in Shoto's chest doesn't go away the entire time. It doesn't go away either when Natsuo takes him home to Fuyumi, who is frantic, and their father, who is furious.

* * *

“OK, so Ashido I think your throuple theory might be right,” Sero says, watching Midoriya, Watanabe and Todoroki talking to each other. “That's so weird. Weren’t two of them rivals before, too?”

“You can be friends with your rivals,” Kirishima says, his eyes shining. He pumps his fists and adds, “I hope someday to have a rival of my own!”

“Wait, what’s a throuple again?” Kamanari asks.

Sero groans. “Dude, we’ve been over this!”

Hitoshi sighs, tuning them out. He wishes this week could end already. First is the whole they-found-a-body ordeal that everyone is making out into canon fodder to use against U.A. Then comes the bombshell that Aizawa wouldn't let him work under him for his work-study, forcing him to accept the bizarre (and his only) offer from Edgeshot. 

“Shinsou!” Hitoshi blinks and sees Ashido peering up at him. “You good? Trains are boarding now.”

“Yeah, just tired,” he says with a sigh. “See you guys in a week.”

They take off in different directions. Of course, the sugar on top is his is at the farthest end of the platform, too. 

He spots Watanabe walking ahead of him towards the same platform he's headed.

 _Great,_ he thinks with a scoff. _Could this week get any worse?_

**six days later**

Hitoshi opens his eyes to see a pink blur. He tries to rub his eyes, but finds he can’t move his hands.

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” the pink blur says. It takes a full minute, but his vision finally clears and he realizes it’s—wait, what is Watanabe doing here?

“What’s going on?”

“So, don’t freak out,” she says, and he realizes she's being restrained by some weird contraption. “But I think we’ve been kidnapped.” 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the dumbass trio acquire shoto todoroki and evolve into: dumbass quartet! 
> 
> also best believe fuyumi has some WORDS for natsuo after the stress he put her through. more to come on that.  
> also also will the entire cast of bnha meet katsuyu before sakura? who knows.
> 
> as always please excuse any errors. i'm going to go back and edit any i missed tomorrow.


	8. quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who watches the watchmen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi folks!!! i've been going back and making edits here and there. i hope this doesn't cause a weird notification!

**DAY ONE**

**tooru:** are you guys excited?!

 **koji:** i’m getting there! 

**fumikage:** i am pleased to learn under hawks 

**sakura:** is it too late to switch hero agencies? 

**tooru:** why? 

**sakura:** shinsou is on the same train as me 

**sakura:** i’m 95% sure we’re both interning at the same agency 

**koji:** oh no! 

**tooru:** yikes!!! 

**fumikage:** it’s what you deserve 

**sakura:** 凸(｀△´＋） 

**tokoyami:** 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸

 **sakura:** (〇*>∀<)ゞ★☆ 

**sakura:** wait 

**sakura:** wait NO i didn’t mean that! 

**tooru:** LMAO 

**sakura:** ugh 

**sakura:** anyway does anyone know why shinsou hates me? i literally have maybe spoken three words to him, ever 

_Fumikage is typing……_

**koji:** fumikage please stop typing 

**tooru:** LMAOO

 **tooru:** i can text mina and ask if you want?

 **sakura:** actually it’s fine don’t worry 

**tooru:** are you gonna try to pull a midoriya?

 **fumikage:** it is not possible for her to do such a thing 

**sakura:** a what???

 **tooru:** you know 

**tooru:** (ಠ益ಠ)

 **tooru:** (૭ಠ益ಠ)૭ (❛ ᴗ ❛)

 **tooru:** (૭ఠ༬ఠ)૭ Ｃ≡(❛ ᴗ ❛Ｃ≡)≡≡≡ 

**tooru:** (๏༬๏)Ｃ≡(❛ ᴗ ❛Ｃ≡)≡≡

 **tooru:** (ಠ‿ಠ)人(❛ ᴗ ❛)

 **tooru:** *:･ﾟ．☆．。．:*･°(◕‿◕)人(❛ ᴗ ❛)*:･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧

 **sakura:**????????

 **koji:** midoriya is the second smiley 

**sakura:** ????????????????? 

**fumikage:** if you are truly desperate, i can see if hawks’ agency is willing to take in another student 

**sakura:** i’ll never be that desperate 

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  


The entrance exams for U.A. is where Hitoshi decides he doesn’t like Midoriya at all. Things change during the Sports Festival. He still can’t shake the insecurity he feels whenever he sees Midoriya’s Quirk in action, but he's getting a little better at managing it. The guy isn't half bad, to be honest. Although, Hitoshi still thinks the universe hates him and loves watching him suffer by having the one person with All-Might’s Quirk keep trying to befriend him. 

That said, while the Sports Festival changed his perception of Midoriya (after all, despite having a literal brainwashing Quirk, Hitoshi is not immune to the power of Midoriya’s Main Character Inspirational SpeechTM), it did not change his perception of Watanabe in the slightest. Since hearing about her from his lunch table mates (yes, they are his lunch table mates, as in the people he sits with at lunch. Nothing more, nothing less. People say they saw him hang out with them after school? They’re lying. And, no, they are _not_ his friends. Nor are they members of the ShinSquad. _Hell no._ ) In fact, it made him dislike her even more. The Girl With Three Quirks, as they call her now. She’s got All-Might’s super strength _and_ an overpowered version of Recovery Girl’s healing. And also another one that he still doesn’t quite understand (like, is it anti-gravity? Or is she like that one American Pro Hero? The Spiderguy?) 

She sits across from him now on the train, eyes trained on a thick book about—wait. Hitoshi squints at it, leaning forward slightly. Is she reading a book about psychological trauma? What the hell? 

_A guide to the wide array scientifically informed approaches to understanding the complex effects of trauma,_ reads the synopsis of the book, _and the various ways to not only reduce its impact, but to move—_

“Um, do you want to read this when I’m done with it?” Hitoshi nearly leaps back into his seat at the sound of Watanabe’s voice. 

He props his hand against his arm rest and stares out the window. “No.”

In the corner of his eye he can see her close her book and set it on her lap. _Oh hell no._

“So,” she starts, looking at him expectantly, "seeing as we’re both going to be working closely with each other for the week, I figure we should get to know each other more.” 

Hitoshi faces her then, his hand resting against his mouth to hide his mean smirk. “Really?” 

There’s a slight pause as Watanabe stares at him, likely noting the sarcasm dripping in his tone. She continues nonetheless. “Let’s do introductions. What are your likes, dislikes, and dreams?”

“Why don’t you start us off, Watanabe?” 

“Sure,” she says evenly. “I’m Watanabe Sakura. I like reading and hanging out with my friends. I dislike bullies. My dream is to revolutionize heroism in Japan.”

“Hitoshi Shinsou,” he says. “I don’t like or dislike a lot of things. I don’t have many hobbies. Dreams?” He gives a shrug. 

“I see we will need to work on team work,” a voice says, and both turn to see a short, slim, muscular man dressed in all black staring at them with an unreadable look. It’s Edgeshot. 

Both sit up in their seats. 

“What are you doing here?” Watanabe asks. “We’re a good still forty minutes away from your agency.” 

“Please follow me,” he offers instead, walking through the small aisle between their seats and opening the train’s window. “We will walk the rest of the way to my agency.” Then he leaps out the moving train. 

Hitoshi looks at Watanabe. “You’re not actually going to….?”

Watanabe shrugs, pulls out her bag from underneath her seat and follows Edgeshot out with ease. 

“No, of course you are,” he mutters, pulling out his own bag from under his seat. 

  
  


  
  


Hitoshi ends up only slightly injuring his left ankle by jumping out of a moving train. It’s not sprained, nor is it broken, but it does throb when he walks so he has to do an awkward half-limp the entire walk.They end up walking through a densely forested area in what appears to be the middle of nowhere. There's an eerie silence, the only sounds coming from the odd bird or insect here and there.

Edgeshot walks ahead of them, taking small but purposeful steps. Watanabe follows closely, with Hitoshi a few feet behind. She turns around a couple of times to make sure he’s still behind them. This annoys him a little. What, did she think he couldn’t keep up? 

Watanabe slows down to sidles up to him, eyes on his left ankle. “Hey, do you want me—?”

“No,” he cuts in, quickly pushing past her. His ankle throbs painful in response to his sudden increased speed. 

Ahead of them, Edgeshot makes an abrupt stop at a clearing in the forest. “We’re here,” he says. 

“This is where I will learn about the two of you better,” Edgeshot states simply. 

“What do you mean?” Hitoshi asks. 

“The best way to learn about someone is to fight them,” Edgeshot explains as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. “You two will come at me and attempt to take this off my arm,” he adds, tying a small red ribbon—that he’s pulled from seemingly nowhere—to his right arm. 

“Are Quirks permitted?” Hitoshi asks.

“Yes.”

“When do we start?” Watanabe asks, setting her bag down. 

“Right now.” Edgeshot assumes a fighting stance.

“Shinsou,” Watanabe whispers, leaning over to him. “We shou—”

Hitoshi ignores her, opening his mouth and activating his Quirk. Suddenly something flies straight at his face, and wraps around his mouth. As he’s trying to wrench it off his face, Edgeshot appears in front of him and soon Hitoshi finds his hands tied up. 

“While taking initiative is good,” Edgeshot tells him, “analyzing the situation and at hand and developing a strategy is important, too.” 

Watanabe is gone, he realizes then, as he watches Edgeshot survey the clearing. She reappears in a flash behind Edgeshot, her outstretched grabbing for the ribbon. 

_Of course,_ he thinks with a muffled sigh. 

But Edgeshot is faster, and he grabs her wrist and throws her over his shoulder and on the ground. He pins her down with his foot. 

"One must never neglect defense,” Edgeshot tells her. “Especially when attacking."

 _OK,_ Hitoshi thinks, _maybe this isn’t too bad._

  
  
  


**sakura:** i changed my mind 

**sakura:** can hawks take me in?

 **sakura:** i’ll learn how to fly 

* * *

**DAY TWO**

  
  
  


The night is quiet, with the odd sound of a car slowly passing below them. Above them, the moon shines brightly with no cloud in sight. Hawks tells Fumikage that while night patrols are usually uneventful occasions, they are a great time to contemplate life, or take a flight. 

Which is what they are doing right now, with Hawks hoisting Fumikage up by his underarms. It’s a little uncomfortable, but the cool air against his feathers feels nice, and city lights below his feet are a nice to look at, too. 

“What’s on your mind?”

Fumikage looks up at Hawks. “What would you do if someone did not like you?”

“Who said they don’t like me?” Hawks frowns. “Which sidekick said this? Was it Parrot? He never likes my jokes, you know. No sense of humour, that one.” 

“I meant figuratively.” 

“Oh! You want the Hero Sociology 101 answer, or my answer?” 

Fumikage considers. “Both.” 

“Well, the Hero Sociology 101 answer, which I agree with by the way," Hawks says, "is that popular approval is the most important metric a Pro Hero should be judged for.” 

“Why?” 

“A hero’s job is to put citizens at ease,” Hawks explains. “Popularity is our best way to measure that, you know?” 

“How do you do that?” Fumikage asks. “Put people at ease, I mean?” 

“Who knows?” Hawks chuckles. “I don’t do that. That’s why I’m number three, not number one. I’ll leave all that to All-Might.” 

“Why don’t you want to be ranked higher?” 

“Honestly, if I could, I’d want to ranked lower—maybe a nice and cozy number five or six,” he admits. “There’s a weight to being a top hero that I don’t want to deal with, you know?” 

“I do not understand.” 

“Well, it’s a matter of perspective, I guess,” Hawks says, and the smile on his face starts to look a little sardonic. “I mean, from one bird to another, why keep yourself confined to the ground when you can fly free?” 

  
  


* * *

**DAY THREE**

Wash’s agency is unlike anything Tooru expects. From what she's seen and read about Wash, she expects his hero agency to be a sleek and very sterile building, but it’s not. To be sure, the agency is possibly the cleanest one Tooru’s ever seen. But it’s not minimalist or modern. It’s small, rising only up to three stories, and smells like lemons. Tooru learns that it is because the agency uses a homemade all-purpose cleaner composed of distilled white vinegar, citrus peels, and castile soap. The first note she writes down at the agency is this recipe (when Wash notices this, they make sure that Tooru notes to never, ever use the cleaner on stone countertops or tiles).

Staff bustle in and out of doors, many stopping and saying hello to Wash and Tooru. 

“How are you liking your work-study placement so far?” 

“I hope Wash isn’t boring you!” 

“Geez, Wash, you better show poor Hagakure some real action!” 

Another thing that catches Tooru off guard is the dynamic between staff and Wash. From what she’s seen through reading about the trials and tribulations of sidekicks working their way to become Pro Heroes, it’s usually gruelling stuff. It’s especially worse for women, who have to deal with harassment from all sides: their peers, superiors, and worst of all, the civilians they are helping. 

But Wash’s agency? It’s not a boss and subordinate situation, not in the slightest. In fact, she learns that Wash actively tries to disrupt that kind of relationship between them and the rest of the staff through things like how the building is set up. Wash’s office, for one thing, is on the first floor. It’s a small, cozy space that doubles as the home to the agency’s unofficial mascot, a small black cat affectionately named Linen. The rest of his employees occupy the second and third floors.

“It’s kind of woo-woo, to be honest,” a staffer explains to Tooru on her first day. “But Wash really hates the idea that leadership needs to be one person in a position of power at the top of a hierarchy, and whose commands will run down the hierarchy. What we have going on here is more like a network of people where ideas and information flow in all directions. Also,” she adds, "Wash once cried when our most junior staffer provided them with some constructive feedback on their third week here. They kept going on about how that's a sign of a healthy workplace. So if you say something constructive and Wash cries, don't worry about it." 

But perhaps the most surprising thing of all is that Wash is capable of saying more than just “Wash!” The Laundry Hero is actually very articulate. They just can’t speak the way most people can, instead relying on the use of a small device to type out what they want to really communicate. Tooru finds this out on her first day when the device is placed directly in front of her face with frightening accuracy. 

_Nice to meet you Hagakure,_ reads the message. _Preferred pronouns and your Hero Name, please._

“She, her,” she supplies, and then she strikes a pose. “I’m the Stealth Hero: Invisible Girl!”

_Wonderful. Looking forward to working with you, Invisible Girl._

“Um, what, um,” she stumbles over her words here. “What should I refer to you as, sensei?”

 _They/them,_ Wash writes back. 

The overall internship experience is less about shadowing Wash as they fight crime, as the work that the agency accomplishes is more support, clean-up, or disaster management. Occasionally they get involved in active crime scenes, like a robbery or theft, but not often. 

_A lot of my colleagues in the industry don’t agree with my philosophy,_ Wash explains on her third day. _I don’t think beating people up and throwing them to jail is the solution. Moreover, I don't think the people doing what I consider actual hero work should be overworked, overstressed, and working at all hours everyday._

It’s a truly refreshing thing for Tooru to hear because, well, she’s been wondering if she should drop out of U.A for some time now. She’s been worried that with the work-study, it would solidify her belief that perhaps hero work isn’t suited for someone like her. 

Now, Tooru is doing better. She’s not at a place where she’s OK, not yet, but she’s doing much better. There are less days where she feels like she’s going to disappear. No, not disappear. She knows what to call what she has. She knows the words, and the signs, too. It’s no longer just an overwhelming feeling of dread and doom. She knows what to look for, what to identify, and what steps to take to manage her illness. Her Quirk Counsellor, Nozomi, has been vital in her developing a self-management process. 

“It’s like if you hurt your ankle running, for example,” Nozomi tells her. “You might prevent another injury by being more mindful of where you step. Think of it that way.”

But she’s been worried that being thrown into a high-stress job like hero work might do away with all the work she’s been doing to feel better. She’s so thankful to learn that there is space for Pro Heroes like her, who want to help others, but may need to do their work differently than the rest. 

She tells this to Wash during their lunch break, and they burst into tears. 

  
  
  


**tooru:** i don’t know how you all are cleaning your homes, but let me be the first to tell you you’re doing it wrong 

_Tooru sent a photo._

[Image description: A piece of paper being held up in the air. Written neatly on the paper is a list that includes cleaning techniques and the corresponding non-toxic, environmentally sustainable product to use.]

_Sakura is typing…_

_Koji is typing…_

_Fumikage is typing…_

* * *

**DAY FOUR**

At first, Koji has some concerns with his work-study placement at Gang Orca’s agency. After all, the man ranks third among Pro Heroes who look like villains. Plus, from what he’s seen on social media, the man is outright terrifying. While most Pro Heroes have top ten fight videos or training videos, Gang Orca is the only one to have compilations of him screaming or shouting insults at people. In fact, the most viewed video of him is literally titled _Gang Orca SHOUTING for 10 Minutes Straight_. 

Honestly, Koji isn’t too sure why or how the man invited him of all people to intern with him, but he’s learning a lot about how to creatively use his Quirk. And also fighting. He’s learning a little too much about fighting, but he finally stopped crying every time he has to use one of Gang Orca’s hyper realistic training dummies. 

On one of their afternoon patrols, Gang Orca stops suddenly and stares at Koji for a long moment. 

“You remind me of a mountain,” Gang Orca says, and Koji feels himself hunch into himself at the sudden comment. Noting this, Gang Orca adds quickly, “Not because of your head, you punk!” 

“N-not because of my head?” 

“No!” Gang Orca barks out. “Listen, I don’t claim to know shit about geology, and I never will. The ocean, though? Ask me about that some other time.” 

Should he nod? Koji gives a hesitant nod, and Gang Orca looks pleased. 

“Anyway,” Gang Orca continues, “what do I know about mountains? It takes ages to take shape. It’s the earth’s crust is pushed up from underneath. Or something like that.” 

“H-huh?”

“I’m not finished!” Gang Orca bellows. “The key takeaway here is _growth_. It takes time for a mountain to form, you know. It’s damn annoying. It’s like things are smashing into you and you won’t know why or how to handle it. It’ll keep happening to you, and it’ll happen from different angles, too. But then when finally you learn your lesson and understand the journey you've taken? Everything comes into full perspective. It’ll take time, and it’ll hurt, and it’ll be messy, but you have to allow things to continue happening so you can continue to grow. You’re made up of strength and resilience, Koda. So keep growing and learning and becoming.”

Koji feels his eyes grow wet. “I will.” 

The moment is quickly ruined, of course. Ahead of them, a tall man dressed in tattered clothes and covered in staples and painful looking burns tosses a crumpled plastic wrapper towards a garbage bin. It misses the bin, landing on the floor. He’s only able to take one step forward until Gang Orca roars at him. No, seriously, he _roars_. Koji flinches at the sound, while the man twists around, hands raised at them. 

“Oi!” Gang Orca hollers. “Kid! You better pick that trash up this instance! You know where that’ll end up? Lodge inside a fucking turtle’s throat! Are you happy living with yourself as a turtle killer? Huh?” 

The man looks at Gang Orca for a long moment, his face a bizarre mix of feral and contemplative. Then the man shrugs, scoops down and retrieves the paper. He looks at it, then at the trash bin. He smiles at them and suddenly there’s the smell of burning paper and the man’s hand is on fire. The ashes of the paper are carried away by the wind. 

Gang Orca looks murderous, but before he can even move, the man disappears. 

  
  
  


**koji:** i think i just experienced motivational screaming

 **fumikage:** do you mean motivational speaking? 

**koji:** no

 **koji:** i don’t 

_Fumikage is typing…_

_Sakura is typing…_

_Tooru is typing…_

  
  


* * *

“Well, fuck,” Dabi mutters, cigarette dropping from his mouth as he sees the headline _Breaking News: The Hero Killer Defeated!_ flash across the display TVs in the storefront window. He stares down at the cigarette for a moment, remembering the killer whale-like man who screamed at him for littering. 

He keeps walking. 

“Plan B it is, then.”

* * *

  
  
  


**DAY FIVE**

Edgeshot is so familiar to Sakura that it hurts. From his get-up, to his demeanour, everything about him screams shinobi. Logically she knows this all. After all, she’s seen the fight videos, the interviews, and she’s even read all the comics Izuku buys for her.

He speaks with a gentle lilt that somehow commands attention. He tells Sakura and Shinsou after their fight with him, that he wants them to leave their work-study with an understanding of three things: solid teamwork, good analysis, and strong fighting skills. 

Training under Edgeshot sends her mind into a frenzy. She gets visions in the middle of their training, most of her thoughts on another grey haired teacher of hers whose lost too much and tries too hard to make up for it.

It makes training with Edgeshot brutal because while she’s caught off guard by these visions, he takes advantage of it. Every move he makes is calculated, like paper being folded into origami, each move as careful as the placement of each fold. 

Edgeshot lands a particularly nasty roundhouse kick when she thinks about a move of her old sensei, a move that involves electricity the eerie sound of a thousand birds chirping loudly. As she contemplates whether she could even attempt it ("Probably not," Inner cuts in. "You don't have the right chakra nature."), she lands in a heap where Shinsou, who is waiting for his turn with Edgeshot, stands.

“Enough,” Edgeshot tells her, when she tries to get back to her feet. “Shinsou, you’re up.” 

Sakura limps towards the far wall, her hand healing the bruise that is forming on her side. She watches Shinsou manage his own against Edgeshot’s quick, measured attacks. Over the course of their time with Edgeshot, he’s improved greatly. Sakura's learned a lot, too, though she breezes past Edgeshot's introductory lessons, which makes for some awkward interactions with Shinsou. She figures out quickly that he really, really does not her fighting skills.

She’s tried numerous times to extend a white flag to Shinsou, but each time he just gets even nastier with her. Inner gets her to try to see it from his point of a view, a boy who’s Quirk has always made him seen villainous in the eyes of others, while she’s has two that are revered given the similarities to All-Might and Recovery Girl, but she refutes that Izuku’s grown up Quirkless and didn’t come out of it an asshole. 

Last night, though, Shinsou’s been making less biting comments towards her. He’s even asked her to heal a couple of his cuts and bruises, which surprises her. She thinks maybe Edgeshot’s knocked some sense into him. Maybe now he'll be less rude about her trying to give him advice? 

_How the hell did Izuku befriend this guy?_ Sakura wonders a little miserably. 

"On the plus side, after this you just have to deal with one more patrol today," Inner offers. "Then you'll be heading home."   
  


* * *

Edgeshot is kind of spiritual, Hitoshi realizes. He should have known this when they first stepped into his home, which smells like sandalwood and looks very traditional. One marked difference is the amount of plants in his home. There’s small plants and actual trees in every single room. Hitoshi counts at least fifteen plants in the room he’s sleeping in. Yet despite all the foliage, Edgeshot’s home does not feel like a jungle. In fact, each plant, like everything else in this home, is carefully arranged. 

On his third day there, when Hitoshi wakes up at dawn (yes, Edgeshot makes them wake up at dawn to do katas outside as a warm up) he moves one of the plants in his room, a small bamboo plant sitting on the window sill, into a random corner. When he returns to his room, he finds the plant back in its original spot.

So it’s no surprise that today, after spending all afternoon patrolling, Edgeshot’s version of giving Hitoshi a “talk” is incredibly woo-woo. Seriously. 

Now, Hitoshi knows he deserves this talk. He’s made a very, very rude comment towards Watanabe, who has had some sort of second wind in trying to be his friend. He wants to blame Izuku for some reason. She just keeps talking to him and trying to ask him stupid, annoying questions. Or try to give out advice he did not ask for. So it’s natural after a long afternoon of shadowing Edgeshot during a patrol, he snaps. He tells her to leave him alone and focus on her own training, or else he’ll make her. 

She gets real quiet then, a faraway look in her eyes, almost as if she’s not really seeing him, but looking past him. She’s had this look in her eyes the entire time they’ve been here, but this time she looks a little sad, too. 

Edgeshot immediately asks him to apologize, which he does. The look in Watanabe’s eyes doesn’t go away, though. It takes Edgeshot shaking her shoulders slightly to get her to look normal again. He dismisses her, and makes one of his sidekicks take her home. 

He takes Hitoshi to a small parkette in the city to talk. Hitoshi expects another rendition of why teamwork is important, and how he’ll need to give Watanabe a proper apology. 

What he gets is something else. 

“I've met people who have held onto pain so strongly, that they began giving it away,” Edgeshot tells him. But when you give your pain to others, it’s as heavy, just as bitter as when you were the one to receive it, Shinsou. Be mindful of your words—do not hurt others, especially not your teammates. Revenge shows you aren’t ready to grow yet.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


After packing his bag, Hitoshi goes to Watanabe’s room, where she’s sitting on her bed reading that book of hers about trauma. Her bag is packed and rest at the end of her bed. 

“Hi,” he says lamely. “Can I come in?” 

She nods, closing her book and setting it down next to her.

He hovers near her bed and sighs. “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s fine.” 

“No, it’s not, I’ve been an asshole this entire time,” he says. “I just—I just can’t really handle people like you and Midoriya.”

“Me and Izuku?” 

“Yeah,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. It feels hot. God, this is really embarrassing. “You guys run around with these amazing Quirks while I—it’s just hard. I’m sorry. I’ve got a lot of shit I still need to figure out.” 

“Shinsou, it’s fine, really,” she says. “I accept your apology.” 

“Uh, good,” he says. “So, um, do you want to hang out? We’ve got a lot of time to kill until our train gets here since, uh, well, the patrol got cut short.” 

Watanabe gives him a surprised look, and he thinks, _shit, was I really that much of asshole?_

“You want to see a movie?” Watanabe suggests, pointing at the small TV at the end of her room. 

Hitoshi shrugs. “What’s sensei got?” 

“Surprisingly, a lot of romance.” 

They decide on a sad romance about childhood friends who fall in and out of love. Watanabe sits with him on the floor of the room, tucked under her large blanket. Hitoshi spends most of the movie watching her, as the entire time she mutters quietly to herself in a way that is reminiscent of Midoriya when he’s thinking about Quirks. 

“Man, childhood love is wild,” Watanabe says with a forlorn sigh as the end credits roll. “Well, not in that case, at least.” 

“Are you talking to me?” 

“Huh?” Watanabe looks over at him in confusion. “Why wouldn’t I?” 

“You’ve been muttering to yourself the entire time.” 

“I have?” 

“You really didn’t notice?” Hitoshi smirks. “You and Midoriya are really perfect for each other.” 

“No way,” Watanabe dismisses with a wave of her hand. “He’s literally the closest thing I have to a brother. Plus,” she adds, voice low, “I’m pretty sure Uraraka and Todoroki are both super into him.” 

“So in the end, Ashido was still kind of right.” 

“What?” 

“Never mind,” he says with a shake of his head. 

“So, you want to watch another movie?” 

It might be how tired he’s feeling, or the fact that Watanabe, like Midoriya, isn’t half bad like he initially thought, but something compels him to stick his hand out to her and ask, “Can we try again?” 

Watanabe stares at his hand. “What?” 

“The introductions, I mean.”

She takes his hand and shakes it. “Watanabe Sakura.” 

“Shinsou Hitoshi,” he says. “I like cats and bicycling around the city with my dad. I dislike people who discriminate against others because of their Quirks. My dream is to become a Pro Hero and prove that people like me can become heroes, too.” 

It’s a nice moment overall, but then he feels Watanabe’s hand go slack in his own. He’s about to ask her what’s wrong, but something hard slams over his mouth and a sickly sweet smell floods his senses. His last thought before everything goes dark is that it smells kind of like a hospital room. 

* * *

**koji:** i can’t believe what happened with midoriya, todoroki and iida! 

**fumikage:** i believe they are all recovering right now 

**tooru:** i’m so glad they’re ok 

**tooru:** sakura have you seen midoriya yet? 

**koji:** she hasn’t read any of these messages for some time now

 **fumikage:** she is most likely concerned with midoriya 

**tooru:** if you see this sakura, send him our love! 

  
  
  
  


**akane:** Have heard from Izuku yet? Is he alright? Call me back. 

  
  
  


**koji:** just checking in

 **koji:** please call me back when you have a chance 

  
  
  


**tooru:** hey i know you’re probably busy with midoriya 

**tooru:** but mina’s been asking about shinsou

 **tooru:** apparently no one can reach him 

**tooru:** everything alright over there????? 

**tooru:** call me back 

  
  


**aoi:** inko & ur mom are freaking out 

**aoi:** WTF happened to zu?

 **aoi:** CALL ME BACK   
  
**aoi:** did u fall asleep on the train again???

**izuku:** This is Todoroki Shoto. 

**izuku:** Midoriya has asked me to tell you to call him when you have the chance. Thank you. 

  
  


**koji:** hey! call back please 

**tooru:** PLZ CALL BACK 

**fumikage:** return my call 

  
  


**natsuo:** hey 

**natsuo:** sakura are you good? 

* * *

With the nice weather and her time off finally approved, Akane takes to lounging in the backyard with her laptop. She finally has time to finish off some of the writing projects she’s been wanting to delve a little deeper into. Ever since the Sports Festival, her personal writing has taken a shift in tone. With work finally out of the way, she can now focus on matters not directly relating to property. 

Aoi sits next to her on the grass, papers scattered around her and she sketches out multiple hero costume designs for a new client of hers. It’s a nice quiet moment, but feels incomplete without Sakura. She’s glad to have her little scholar returning home tonight. She’d be so surprised to find out about her year-long “sabbatical.” Maybe for the winter break they could go to the little house in the countryside that Aoi’s brother owned. Maybe Izuku and Inko would be interested in coming with them, too. That’d be nice.

She hopes Izuku is doing alright. She checks her phone again and sees no new messages from Sakura. Her gut tells her there's something wrong with that, but she knows Sakura's never been the best at responding quickly. She's probably fallen asleep on the train, like Aoi said. She'd probably have a heart attack when she hears about what happened to Izuku. 

“Holy shit,” Aoi gasps, and Akane looks up to see a tired-looking man in all-black and a small bear-like creature coming around from the side of the house towards them. “That rat is wearing a Yohji Yamamoto suit. I didn’t even realize they made those suits in that size.”

“Aoi,” Akane says with a tired sigh. “That’s Sakura’s principal.” 

“Oh, right!” 

When the two finally reach them, Akane realizes then that the tired-looking man doesn’t look tired. No, the look in his eyes is familiar. It’s the same look the police officer had when he told her the news about Hashi. It’s the same eyes that say _I’m sorry, but an accident happened._

* * *

_Yaoyorozu renamed the chat to Class 1-A._

_Yaoyorozu removed Kaminari as a group chat admin._

**iida:** Thank you for renaming the chat, Yaoyorozu. I don’t understand how Kaminari even became an administrator. 

**iida:** Anyway, Todoroki, Midoriya and I are fine. Thank you all for your concern! 

**ashido:** anyone know why classes are cancelled though? 

**ashido:** i mean

 **ashido:** not complaining ofc 

**yaoyorozu:** I believe it may be due to the Hero Killer incident. U.A. has been under severe scrutiny since the USJ attack, so I believe precautions are needed at this time.

 **kaminari:** shout out to midoriya, iida and todoroki tho 

**kaminari:** i bet yall improved the most out of us all during the work-studies 

**sero:** they’re literally in the top ten of our class man 

**kaminari:** n e ways! 

**kaminari:** midoriya tell us what happened 

**jirou:** …..

 **jirou:** did you mean to write anyways?

 **sero:** i’m so sorry about kaminari’s texting y’all

 **sero:** we’ve tried to stop him 

**kaminari:** here comes the grammar police smh 

**uraraka:** Actually yeah 

**uraraka:** I mean not the grammar comment, but what happened to you guys? Did you fight the Hero Killer? 

**todoroki:** We just stalled him until a Pro-Hero stepped in.

 **kirishima:** that’s still really manly! I’m proud of you all!!! 

**aoyama:** oui, we are très fier de vous･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ✧*･ﾟ*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

 **midoriya:** thank you!

 **todoroki:** Thanks. 

**iida:** Thank you! 

**kaminari:** ok so veering off for a second yall 

**kaminari:** the hero killer guy is kind of bad ass tbh 

**midoriya:**???????

 **midoriya:** he’s a MURDERER 

**tokoyami:** that is correct, he has slain many innocent lives 

**kaminari:** idk i think it’s kind of badass that he’s gotten rid of some of the bad heroes

 **jirou:** uh…

 **hagakure:** yikes 

**midoriya:** some of them were corrupt, yes, but that doesn’t mean they deserve to be killed or injured!!!!! 

**yaoyorozu:** Iida’s brother certainly did not deserve being attacked by Hero Killer. 

**kaminari:** oh wait shit i def didn’t mean to imply your brother is corrupt btw iida sorry 

**kaminari:** like i get that murder is wrong and i understand he’s a total villain and im not justifying his actions at all 

**kaminari:** but like some of the people he’s killed should def not have ever been heroes u know? 

**iida:** It’s fine. I can understand how people find him cool. He has strong convictions, and it’s a shame that some individuals are Pro Heroes in name only. That said, his strong convictions do not justify his criminal actions. I hope this pushes us all to become better in our own pursuits into becoming heroes! 

**iida:** I also would like for this group chat to continue to be utilized solely for class-wide announcements. Yaoyorozu and I will provide further updates to you as we become aware of them. 

  
  


* * *

**DAY SIX**

Hitoshi opens his eyes to see a pink blur. He tries to rub his eyes, but finds he can’t move his hands. 

“Oh, good, you’re awake,” the pink blur says. His vision clears and he realizes it’s—wait, it’s Watanabe. 

“So, don’t freak out,” she says. “But I think we’ve been kidnapped.” 

Hitoshi stares at her, and then squeezes his eyes shut as a sudden wave of nausea rolls over him. He nearly throws up, but manages to stop himself. When he opens his eyes, Watanabe is gone. 

“She’ll be back,” a voice says, and Hitoshi looks up to see a guy covered in burns and staples—those are _staples_ —hovering over him. “But I heard about your Quirk, kid, so I gotta take precautions,” the man says, and Hitoshi’s mouth is bound for the second time this week. “Anyway, hang tight. The boss will be down in a sec to talk to you.” 

Hitoshi must be giving him a confused stare, because the man smiles widely at him and adds, “‘Cuz with a Quirk like yours, 'course he’d want you to join the League of Villains.” 

  
  


* * *

  
  


A wave of motion sickness washes over Sakura as she’s tossed into a small dark room. That stupid time-space ninjutsu or Quirk or whatever hell that fog weirdo is doing is truly the worst thing on the planet. She’d ordinarily use a bit of healing chakra to quell the dizziness and nausea, but whatever these kidnappers are using to bound her is blocking her chakra. By the time she’s feeling settled, she realizes she’s not alone in the room. Before her is a tall man dressed plain, black suit and strange gas mask-like contraption on his head.

“Watanabe Sakura,” the man says. “What a pleasure it is to finally meet you.” 

“And you are?” 

“You may call me Sensei,” he says. “I must say, you and your friend Shinsou Hitoshi are truly some interesting additions to U.A. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you both, though for separate reasons.” 

“Why’s that?” 

“Well, I have a story I’d like to share with you, if you’ll listen,” he says. “It’s about two brothers. I think you’ll find it very interesting, especially considering the number of Quirks you have in your arsenal.” 

Sensei launches into a story about two brothers where, long ago, the elder brother of the two developed a Quirk that allows him to steal other Quirks and give them away. He decides to give his seemingly Quirkless younger brother a Quirk that allowed him to stockpile power within his body. 

“Where’d he get this stockpile Quirk?” Sakura asks. 

The faux pleasant tone vanishes from Sensei’s voice as he registers the underlying assumption in Sakura’s question. “This happened a long, long time ago. Long before All-Might even got his Quirk, you see,” he says. “In any case, let me continue. If you interrupt me again, I’ll have to get violent, I’m afraid.” 

Sensei continues his story, explaining that unknown to either of the two brothers, the youngest actually already had a Quirk, one where he could transfer his power to others. 

_Inner, what the fuck is going on?_ Sakura thinks. _So both brothers can give away their techniques, or what? Is this making sense to you?_

“Try thinking about this through your understanding of chakra,” Inner offers. “But also I think both brothers have a variation of a transference Quirk?” 

“The transference Quirk and the power stockpiling Quirk merged into one,” Sensei continues, “and from then on became One For All.”

“Wait? Is this All-Might’s evil older brother?” Inner wonders. "Or father?" 

“Are you All-Might’s fa—?” a sharp strike to the side of her head cuts her off. 

“Now, Watanabe,” Sensei says with a tsk, “I told you what would happen if you interrupt me. Please refrain from asking questions until the end.” 

Sakura feels something warm trickle down the side of her face. 

“The younger brother, who now realized the truth about his Quirk,” Sensei continues without missing a beat, “decided to use it to stop his older brother from stealing Quirks. He had a very strong sense of justice, you see. But given the huge difference in their strength, the younger brother failed. He decided then to entrust his Quirk to future generations of Heroes, hoping that they would cultivate One For All and one day put a stop to his brother. 

“Very few knew the truth about One For All. After all, what would happen if villains knew the world’s most powerful Quirk could be transferred? Imagine the chaos. Now, of course, you may be wondering, but what happened to that pesky older brother of his? Well, he’s killed almost all of the users of One For All. Though, not before they each had the chance to pass on the Quirk to a successor.” 

“It’s always two brothers,” Inner remarks bitterly. “One good and one who loses his way. We’re forever forced to deal with two squabbling brats unable to keep their in-fighting away from the rest of us.” 

“Sounds like the big brother’s got a brother complex,” Sakura mutters.

Sensei stops speaking. 

Sakura blinks once, then twice. “I said that out loud, didn’t I?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, “pulling a midoriya” means beating people up and shouting encouraging words at them until they respect you and/or become your friend 


	9. intelligenti pauca

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Few words suffice for he who understands.

Sakura is dead.

Tooru’s grip on her phone tightens. She feels like she’s sinking, slowly seeping deeper and deeper into the numb feeling that starts in the pit of her stomach and spreads further out. 

Shinsou is dead, too. Probably. They’ve been gone for far too long. It’s been over a week. The villains haven’t asked for anything, so they probably took Sakura and Shinsou to make a statement. To prove their power, even. 

The TV screen flashes _BREAKING NEWS: U.A. students kidnapped by an unknown villain_ _organization still missing!_

An older man dressed in a sharp suit is being interviewed. Apparently he’s an expert on heroism and hero societies. He teaches at some big fancy university in Tokyo. He’s railing on U.A., noting how this is just one more example of the institution's failure to prepare the next generation of heroes. 

“But wouldn’t you say this is just unusual circumstances?” the interviewer asks. “After all, most of the top heroes in Japan have studied at U.A.” 

“Most Pro-Heroes have not studied at U.A., or even Shiketsu,” he counters. “In fact, the most successful Pro-Heroes, such as All-Might, learned the trade through an apprenticeship in America! Hawks received his training from our publicly-funded and publicly-controlled Hero Commission! What value does a private institute like U.A offer aside from sensationalizing and commercializing heroism?” 

“But—”

“What if they were singled out because of U.A’s tendency for pomp and circumstance?” the man slams a fist in the table. The water in the glass next to him near his arm sloshes precariously towards the edge. “What if U.A., due to its unnecessary need to glorify its young, inexperienced students, ultimately led to these students’ demise by televising that sorry excuse of a Sports Festival?"

“What are you insinuating? That the Sports Festival is responsible for it?” 

“Of course! It's a glorified battle royale! Of course villains would watch that nonsense, if only to pick out the students with strong Quirks. It’s put a target on their backs!” 

“Are you saying U.A. is incapable of protecting its own students?” 

“They had a villain attack not too long ago! How could they even think to allow their students to be scattered across the country for a work-study placement after that?” 

Tooru sits with this information as she watches the men on her TV screen. Her grip on her phone is so tight that for a moment, just briefly, she feels something. A throb of pain in her hand. 

Her best friend, her first real friend if she’s being honest, is dead. She never even had a real chance to tell her everything, either. The first time Sakura saw her, really saw her, she panicked and tried to brush it off, but of course Sakura was patient with her. She had so many questions for her that time, too. Like what did she mean by genjutsu? How did she know so much about Quirks that weren’t her own? She’d never get a chance to ask her now, it was too la—

“Tooru,” a voice says. It’s Nozomi. Right, she called Nozomi. She’s on the phone with Nozomi right now. “Tooru take a deep breath.” 

Tooru takes a deep breath.

“Good. Did you take your medication yet today?” 

Did she take her medication yet? Tooru frowns. 

“No,” she says. “No, I didn’t.” 

“Have you eaten yet?” 

“No.” 

“Go into your kitchen, make something to eat, and take your medication. Also,” Nozomi adds, “Please shut off the TV. It’s nothing but nonsense that you're hearing.” 

Tooru takes another deep breath, thanks Nozomi and hangs up. She shuts her TV off, and heads into the kitchen to prepare a quick meal. She sets her phone down on the counter before she surveys her fridge. There’s leftover rice, vegetables, and a couple eggs. She decides on fried rice.

As she’s waiting for her frying pan to heat up, her phone buzzes. Again. Then again. After a long moment of deliberating (what if it’s an emergency?) she reaches for it. She stares down at her phone in surprise. She’s been added to a group chat Midoriya created. She releases a surprised gasp that dissolves into laughter. Of course Midoriya would be the one to reach out about rescuing Shinsou and Sakura via a group chat. She takes another deep breath and quickly types up her response. 

* * *

Sakura’s in her mindscape, but for the first time there's someone other than Inner with her. A small woman stands in front of her. She can’t see her face, the woman's features shadowed for some reason. 

“Who…” Sakura starts, but quickly stops. She knows this woman somehow. Instead she tries, “What’s your name?” 

She’s saying something, but she can’t hear her. The sound of ringing overtakes whatever the woman is trying to say. She looks up and Sakura does, too. When she does, she’s out of her mindscape. Her eyes snap open, but she quickly shuts them to avoid the dust and debris from entering as she barrels through four, maybe five, walls and until she collapses onto the floor in a heap. Her ears are ringing. 

“If you die again,” Inner says, “I don’t think I’ll be around to keep the memories of two past lives, you know.” 

She’s lifted up and set upright again. Sensei looms over her. His killing intent rolls off of him in crashing waves, making the air around them thick with intense pressure. It takes her a moment to realize she’s shaking. 

_I’m going to die,_ she thinks. _I’m going to die. I’m going_ —

“No need to be afraid, Watanabe,” he says, clamping a hand down on her head. “It’ll be quick, I promise.” 

She struggles under his tight grip and winces at the pain drawn from her movements. Her tolerance for pain is awful after years of her chakra automatically healing her. Her arm twists out behind her in an unnatural position. Her shoulder is likely dislocated, too. The wound on her head isn’t so bad though, she thinks it’s finally starting to stop bleeding—

Wait.

Her restraints are loose. The contraption isn’t suppressing her chakra anymore. Her chakra feels slow and sluggish, but it’s no longer being blocked. 

Sakura takes a deep breath, tries to find Shinsou’s chakra signature, and then disappears in a cloud of smoke. 

* * *

Hitoshi wishes they’d covered his ears, too. The Dabi guy (what a weird name that is) wasn’t entirely too bad, but then again he also hasn’t said another word since gagging Hitoshi (which, he’s come to realize, wasn’t necessary given that he’s tied to a machine that actively suppresses Quirks). No, the person that's talking his ear off is the weird guy with the hands covering his face, the leader of this band of villains, Shigaraki. He keeps using video game references in his strange attempt to recruit him, but Hitoshi checks out of the conversation when he realizes the guy’s face is covered with real, severed human hands. He’s almost grateful for the gag because he doesn’t have to respond to the man. 

He wonders, briefly, about Watanabe and where she might be until Shigaraki abruptly stands up and heads towards the door. 

“Keep an eye on him,” he orders Dabi and leaves without another word. 

Hitoshi shares a confused look with Dabi until he realizes, _wait, this guy is a villain_ and then looks away. 

Suddenly Watanabe appears in a puff of smoke. She looks awful, she's covered in deep gashes, her face especially. Her pink hair is damp, matted with blood. 

Dabi whistles at the sight of her. “Damn. What did you do to deserve that?” 

Watanabe eyes fix on Dabi with a frightening intensity. “I’m here to collect,” she says, her voice barely above a whisper. 

Dabi stares back at her with an unreadable look. After a tense beat of silence he waves his hands and soon they are all surrounded by a swirl of blue flames. 

Hitoshi struggles against his restraints as he watches the flames creep closer and closer to him. He’s barely able to see anything as smoke fills the room. He feels his throat constrict as he breathes in the bitter fumes. 

He feels so useless. He _is_ useless. He’s going to die and she’s—

Hitoshi feels a pair of strong hands rip him from his restraints and then he’s flying. 

Watanabe can fly. _Of course she can_. Hitoshi grasps onto her harder as she takes them who knows where. When they finally, finally stop and she sets him down he reaches for his gag and rips it off. He takes a deep, unrestricted inhale of breath. They're on a rooftop, he soon realizes, and it's nightfall. 

“How much chakra do I have?” Watanabe mutters. 

He turns towards her, but she isn’t talking to him. 

“Yeah?” she continues. “I can make it work.” 

He’s got a thousand questions floating in his mind. How does she know that villain? Did he actually help them escape just now? Who the hell is she talking to? What happened to her? 

But before he can voice any of these questions, she looks over at him and asks, “Any injuries?” 

“Uh, no injuries. You? Are you OK?” 

“I've got a concussion,” she notes, her voice taking on a clinical quality. “My shoulder is definitely dislocated, and my arm is broken. I think have three broken ribs. It’s fine though. We need to go now.” 

“That’s definitely _not_ fine,” Hitoshi says, rubbing his now freed wrists. “Where are we by the way?” 

“Above their hideout, I think,” she says. "I can heal while we go." 

“How are we going to leave without being noticed?” 

Watanabe smiles at him. With all the blood still on her face, it’s a pretty terrifying sight. “I’ve got an idea."

* * *

Natsuo eyes flick between the open road ahead and an oddly quiet and serious-looking Midoriya next to him.

If you told Natsuo he would be spending his one free weekend hacking into his father’s work devices to find information on two kidnapped highschoolers and then drive an hour away to rescue said highschoolers with his little brother, Midoriya, and some kids he barely knows, well, honestly he wouldn’t question it. It’s something he’d probably do. 

“You’re oddly calm for someone who’s technically aiding and abetting in a crime,” Natsuo says to him.

Midoriya shrugs. 

Natsuo sighs. “It’ll be fine, Midoriya. They’ve got All-Might on the case. Honestly, by the time we get there they’ll probably be safe and sound.” 

Midoriya says nothing, staring straight ahead. 

The guy with bright red hair, Kirishima, pokes his head through the gap between Natsuo and Midoriya’s seats. “It’s not a crime," he says. “We’re saving our friends!” 

“That’s right,” the invisible girl, Hagakure, echoes. 

Natsuo looks at the rear view mirror and sees the bird boy, Tokoyami, nod in agreement, while next to him, the large and quiet kid named Koda watches on with a nervous smile. His younger brother just stares out the window. 

“So what’s the plan then?” Natsuo asks. 

All eyes dart to Midoriya. He’s still looking ahead, but finally speaks for the first time since they began their drive to Deika City.

“We’re at a disadvantage since we don't know the hideout well,” he starts, and then launches into three potential courses of action for them to take. 

* * *

Naomasa briefed them as best he could about the hideout that Gang Orca, along with Beast Jeanist, Tiger and Mt. Lady, are to infiltrate and subdue. They expect villains, but instead find strange the creatures called Nomu, some stored in large glass containers, while others move around freely throughout the hideout. 

Gang Orca’s task is to take out the ones that roam around the hideout. He’s able to subdue three without much challenge. He’s about to engage a fourth, but as he’s doing so, he spots the strangest thing: Koda, as well as several other U.A students crouching low and sneaking through the dark halls of the hideout. 

Nomu, catching him off guard, manages a vicious swipe at his head. He goes down briefly, but he's quickly back to his feet and he grabs the creature into a chokehold. 

The students’ seem to think he hasn’t spotted them, all of them still sneaking ahead. At the other end of the hallway he sees one of the missing students, Shinsou Hitoshi, also crouching and slowly making his way towards them. Neither party is aware of each other just yet, it seems. Behind Shinsou is another Nomu. He whips around and tries to goad the creature into saying something back to him. He remembers then the boy’s Quirk from Naomasa’s briefing: brainwashing. It’s activated when someone responds back to him.

But the creature offers nothing.

Gang Orca tries to move quickly to do something, anything, but the other Nomu is on him again. He slams the creature away and makes a break towards Shinsou. 

“No!” Gang Orca cries. He isn't fast enough. 

The students notice Shinsou then, but it’s too late. The creature reaches out, its large claws outstretched, and pierces through the boy’s chest. 

But then the strangest thing happens. Once the claws connect with Shinsou’s chest, he doesn’t bleed. Instead, there’s a puff of smoke, and he is gone. 

  
  


* * *

The two of them have relocated again, this time to atop a beaten-down building several metres away from the hideout, the two of them tucked behind a massive skylight guard, while Watanabe tries to recover some of her strength and heal herself. To his great surprise, this entails quiet meditation on Watanabe’s part. She sits in a lotus position, her spine upright, and keeps her eyes closed. 

Hitoshi opts to keep an eye out for League of Villain members, but on occasion he checks on her to make sure she hasn't passed out. He highly doubts meditation would fix a broken arm or broken rib.

Watanabe snaps her eyes open and looks at him.“You just got impaled.” 

“I just— _what_?” 

“Your clone, I mean,” she adds, as if that helps. 

“My _what_?” 

“Your clone,” she repeats. 

“Just how many Quirks—you know what? Forget it,” he says, pinching the bridge of his nose. “At least now if they think I’m dead, they’ll leave me alone about joining them.”

“The Coalition of Criminals asked you to join them?” Watanabe frowns. “Why?” 

“League of Villains,” Hitoshi corrects quickly. “Are you seriously asking me that?” 

Watanabe nods. “Well?” 

“Well, you know, my Quirk.”

“What about your Quirk?” 

Hitoshi wants to scream at her for being so dense, but then he quickly remembers she’s got a concussion, so she’s probably not in the right state of mind. “My Quirk is pretty villainous, Watanabe.” 

“How is your Quirk villainous?” 

“I can _brainwash_ people.”

“So?” 

“So?” Hitoshi repeats. “That’s villainous.” 

“You’re being really dumb,” Watanabe says, stretching her feet out in front of her. Compared to when he first saw her, she’s looking considerably better now. Well, aside from all the blood and dirt still on her. “Quirks aren’t inherently good or bad. You decide what to make of them. If people are going to be simple minded, let them. You’re a good person, Shinsou, that’s all that matters.” 

He sighs. “Are we having a heart to heart right now?” 

“I’ve been told my timing is impeccable,” she says.

“Really? Aizawa sensei complains about you being late all the time, though,” Hitoshi says with a crooked smile. “Anyway, what’s the next move?” 

“There’s some Pro-Heroes here,” she says, closing her eyes again. “I think I know where they are.” 

“You do?” 

“It’s a straight shot from here,” she says getting to her feet. Then she squats down with her arms extended. 

He gives her a confused look. “What are you doing?” 

“Hop on,” she says. “This is faster.” 

“No way.”

“Shinsou, get on or I’ll make you get on,” she warns.

“Who has the brainwashing Quirk here?” he asks, but obliges. “If you tell anyone about it this— _whoa_!” As soon as Shinsou is secured on her back, Watanabe takes off running at top speed, hopping from building rooftop to the next. “Give a guy a warning next time!” 

“My bad, Shinsou!” 

In a low voice he says, “Hitoshi.” 

“What?” 

“Huh?” 

“Call me Hitoshi.” 

“Alright, Hitoshi,” she says, smiling a little. Who would’ve thought a traumatizing hostage situation would be all it took to get them on a first name basis? Not him. “Call me Sakura then.” 

“Well isn’t this a sweet sight,” a voice says, and suddenly both Hitoshi and Sakura go flying. They thankfully don’t drop down to the concrete sidewalk below, but instead land in a painful heap on another rooftop. Hitoshi feels his leg throb and he realizes he landed with it pointed in a funny angle. His head, too, throbs with pain and he sees stars swimming in his vision. 

A large man in a suit hovers over him. On the man's head is the strangest mask Hitoshi’s ever seen. Seriously, what’s up with the League of Villains and disturbing headwear? 

“Shinsou,” the man says with a tsk. “What a shame it is that you aren’t going to be joining the League of Villains. I suppose you won’t be needing that Quirk of yours in that case. And, you,” he adds, moving to loom over Sakura. “We haven't finished our discussion.” 

The man lifts his leg to stomp on Sakura she’s still down, but she rolls away before his foot can connect with her head. 

“I’d say we’re pretty finished, Brother Complex,” Sakura says, rising to a crouch. In any other context Hitoshi would find that comment hilarious, but he feels his body grow cold as the man bursts with dark, angry energy. The combination of whatever the hell this energy is, and what Hitoshi is pretty sure is some kind of head injury, makes his vision swim. He struggles to maintain consciousness. 

The man moves lighting fast towards Sakura, but before he can do anything, a tree branch, of all things, appears and snakes around his legs and hurls him a few meters away from them. 

“Oh!” The man lands on his feet, and dusts his suit. “You’re just full of surprises, aren’t you?” 

Sakura gets to her feet, but instead of assuming a fighting stance, she turns her back to the man and starts to make her way to Hitoshi. 

“Giving up already?”

“Yep,” Sakura says, tone oddly casual.

Hitoshi's about to shout at her to turn back around, to run, to get away, because the man is about to strike her, but then a blur smashes straight into the man's side, sending him into the air yet again. This time he doesn't land on his feet. 

“No need to fear!” A familiar voice booms. “For I am here!” 

It’s then that Hitoshi loses consciousness. He really hopes he didn’t imagine All-Might’s voice. 

* * *

Nagamasa blinks at the screen, ignoring the loud cries coming from his classmates who keep swearing up and down that they knew All-Might would win. A Pro-Hero on screen, Edgeshot, is calmly explaining that while a few villains from the League of Villains have managed to escape, they have arrested their leader. There’s a shot of several people disappearing into a black portal as Edgeshot speaks, and Nagamasa brings his face right up to the TV, much to the annoyance of a couple of his classmates, his eye staring at the corner of the screen where he swears he’s partially able to the same man that visited him a couple days ago. 

There’s no mistaking it. It’s the same guy. Nagamasa leans back, trying to process this fact. 

“Oi,” Bakugou grunts, nudging Nagamasa by the foot. “You good?” 

“Huh? Yeah, I’m good,” Nagamasa says quickly. “Just lost in thought.” 

“That makes two of you,” Seiji says, nodding his head at Inasa who sits quietly next to Camie. He’s been eerily quiet about the entire thing. In fact, the entire time their classmates have been screaming their heads off about All-Might’s wicked fight, he sat quietly staring at his phone. 

Camie leans over and nudges him. “Are you, like, OK?” 

“I just wish they’d release the names of who’s been taken,” he mutters. 

“That would just put them at risk,” Seiji says. 

“There’s media bans put on minors for a reason,” Bakugou adds, and everyone gives him a surprised look. “What?” 

“Nothing,” Camie says with a goofy smile. 

“Anyway," Bakugou says to Inasa. "You know someone at U.A., or something?” 

Camie’s eyes sparkle. “Or, ooh, a girlfriend? Boyfriend?”

“Yes,” Inasa answers forlornly, although they are unsure to which question. 

“ _You_? Someone like _you_ has someone?” Camie gasps. “That’s, like, not fair!” 

Bakugou rolls his eyes. “Tch.” 

“Had they been a student at our institution, you would be expelled right now,” Seiji says, and Nagamasa gives him a _what the hell is wrong with you, man?_ look. “I mean, I hope your friend is not mortally wounded.”

“Maybe you’ve, like, been ghosted, man,” Camie says, patting Inasa on the back. 

“No, she wouldn’t do that,” he replies. 

“There’s hundreds of U.A. students,” Bakugou says, his eyes back on the TV. “It’s probably not her. Plus, if it is her, All-Might’s saved her. She’ll be fine. Recovery Girl is the best healer out there. She’s in good hands.” They all stare at him in shocked silence, and he looks over at them and growls, “What?” 

“That was actually really _nice_ , Bakugou,” Nagamasa says, squinting at him. “Are _you_ OK?” 

“Fuck off!”

* * *

“Sakura?” Chiyo looks startled as Sakura, who is carrying Shinsou bridal-style, appears out of thin air in front of her. “Sakura! What happened?” 

Several voices clamour for her attention. Pro-Heroes and police officers, she realizes. 

“It’s them! They’re out!” 

“The kidnapped U.A students? Do you—”

“Get away from them! Can’t you see they’re—!” 

Sakura ignores them, and hands Hitoshi off to Chiyo. She giggles at the sight of her small sensei carrying Hitoshi. 

“Sakura,” Chiyo says once Hitoshi is secured in her arms, “are you—”

“All-Might is fighting, uh, Sensei, I think he’s called?” Sakura frowns, realizing her head is starting to feel foggy. “He’s OK for now, but you’ll probably need to and help him ‘cause he’s going all out.”

“Sensei? What?” 

“Yeah, anyway, Hitoshi got a concussion, and I don’t really do well with healing brain stuff, y’know?” Sakura says. “Oh, and the, uh, Federation of Fraudsters or whatever those people are called tried to recruit Hitoshi, but he said no, but given how he feels about his Quirk, maybe Aizawa sensei should, y’know, check on him about it.” 

“Sakura, what—” 

“Oh, and Sensei—not Aizawa sensei, of course—thinks I’m like All-Might for some reason? He tried to steal my, uh, Quirks. Hitoshi’s, too, if he didn’t join the Band of Bandits. Also, I’m pretty sure I’ve got three broken ribs, and internal bleeding, like, all here,” Sakura gestures vaguely at what she hopes is the left side of her face, which she’s pretty sure is still caked in dried blood. "I wasn't able to really fix myself up, so I'll be relying on you for that." 

“Sak—”

“Anyway,” she says, swaying forwards, “This was nice, but I’m going to pass out now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> someday i'll learn how to write action scenes. not today, but someday.


	10. finis origine pendet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end hangs on the beginning.

Sakura is in downtown Mustafu, which strikes her as odd. She doesn’t know the reason why it's so odd for her to be here, but she continues her walk past the familiar storefronts. She stops suddenly when she reaches a small, worn-looking shop. It looks out of place, the small wooden shop tucked between two sleek glass buildings. Sakura squints at the shop’s name, but she can’t quite grasp what the characters make out. The door of the shop opens, and when she enters there is the strong smell of jasmine and, oddly enough, sake. 

“Hello?” she calls out. 

There’s a boy in the shop. His entire body is covered in long blond hairs. He sits at the end of the shop and is making tea. He pours hot tea out of a small kettle into two tea cups. He breathes in the perfume of the tea leaves, and then, as if just realizing Sakura’s presence, whips around to face her. 

“Who are you?” he asks. 

“Who are _you_?” 

“I asked you first.”

“Oh, right,” Sakura accedes. “Watanabe Sakura. You?” 

“Mora Nagamasa,” he says. “Uh, are you working for my grandmother or something?” 

“I don’t know how I got here,” she admits, walking over and sitting down next to him. He’s made lemon balm tea. She takes a small sip of it. “It’s good.” 

“Uh, that was for my grandmother,” he says.

“Oh, sorry!” Sakura sets the cup back down. “I don’t—I don’t know why I did that. Sorry.” 

“It’s cool, I can make another,” he says. “So, um, do you remember how you got here at least?” 

She shakes her head. 

“What’s the last thing you remember?” 

She frowns. “I remember...a fight, I think.”

“A fight? Are you alright?” 

“No,” she says, frown deepening. She takes another sip of the tea. “I’m not sure.” 

“Well, do you need a tincture? A balm?”

“No,” she says. “I… I think I need to wake up?” 

“Oh,” Mora says, and Sakura thinks maybe he’s smiling underneath all that hair. “So you do know where you are.” 

When Sakura opens her eyes and sees white. She blinks a few times and realizes she’s staring at a ceiling. On her left she can hear the beeping of a heart monitor, and on her right the sounds of quiet snores. She blinks again and turns to her right. Izuku is seated next to her, positioned awkwardly in his chair. His hair is messier than usual, and there are dark circles under his eyes. 

She tries to speak but finds her throat too dry. All that comes out is a pathetic croak. She tries to reach over to Izuku but her arm throbs in pain as she stretches it out to him. Once the pain subsides, sleep claims her again. This time she dreams of nothing. 

  
  


* * *

When the girl leaves, his grandmother enters from the back of the shop. 

“Oh, sorry,” he says, “She drank your tea.” 

“It was for her,” his grandmother says. 

“A client of yours?” 

“More like an old student of mine from several lifetimes ago,” she says, and then she waves a dismissive hand. “Enough of that, I need you to do me a favour.” 

Nagamasa takes a sip of his tea. “Sure. What do you need?” 

“You will find that girl at Mustafu General Hospital in Room 108,” she says. “You will deliver my scroll to her. Use what I have taught you to ensure you are undetected.” 

“What?!” Nagamasa cries. “But what about you?” 

“I’ve gone through enough cycles of life and death,” his grandmother says. “It’s time for fresh blood. If she survives, that is.” 

“But—”

“I am glad that our paths were able to cross in this lifetime, Nagamasa,” she says, reaching for his hand. “Remember all that I have told you. You’ll become a great hero someday.” 

Before Nagamasa can even respond, he’s back in his dorm, sitting up in his bed. He sighs and looks to his nightstand where there’s an ancient-looking scroll and a long silver necklace with a clear crystal. When he holds the necklace up to the light, a small rainbow glimmers from the crystal.

  
  
  
  


“Oh!” Nagamasa waves at Bakugou, who sits at a kitchen island nursing a cup of coffee and squinting down at a notebook. “You’re up early.”

“I’m always up at this time,” he grumbles, frowning at him. “Why are you here?” 

_I’m here to end my grandmother’s cycle of reincarnation and reign as Summoner of the Slugs and pass it on to a girl who may or may not die if she’s not accepted by the Slugs_ is what he would like to say. But instead he says, “I’m heading to Mustafu to do a favour for my grandmother.” 

Bakugou nods once and returns his attention back to his notebook. Nagamasa is thankful he caught Bakugou and not, say, Inasa who’d want to accompany him. Then again, Inasa wouldn’t blink twice at Nagamasa telling him the true reason for his trip to Mustuafu.

“Wait,” Bakugou barks out. “Let's go together. I need to go visit the Witch and Shitty Rat.” 

“Huh? You know my grandmother?” 

“What?” 

“You’re visiting a witch,” Nagamasa says, slowly. 

“I’m talking about my old woman,” Bakugou says. “You call your grandmother a witch? The hell?” 

“Well, uh, you called your mother a witch!” Nagamasa counters. “Anyway, my grandmother is an actual witch.” 

“That shit isn’t real, dumbass.” 

“Sure, sure,” Nagamasa says. “Anyway, hurry up, the train’s gonna leaving soon.” 

Oddly enough, it hits him during the quiet train ride to Mustafu as he stares out the window and fiddles with the necklace his grandmother left him. There will be no more dreams, no more helping her at her rickety little dream shop, no more tea, no more stories. His grandmother will die if the girl succeeds her and he’ll never see her again. 

“What’s your problem, Shitty Hair?” Bakugou asks, his red eyes narrowing at him. 

“Huh?” 

“You’re crying, idiot.” 

“I am?” Nagamasa touches his face. “Oh, I guess I am. Don’t worry about it.”

Bakugou frowns at him. “You sure?”

“Yeah, just coming to terms with something,” Nagamasa says. “I’ll be fine. Thanks, Bakugou.” 

“Tch.” 

* * *

There’s light around her daughter looks strange. Akane squints at it. One of Sakura’s friends is invisible, isn’t she? Filtering and bending the light around her to appear unseen, she remembers. Akane doubts that she’d be able to see her, but still. It's strange. 

“Hagakure? Is that you?” she calls out quietly. Nothing. “Maybe Aoi is right, maybe the stress is getting to me.”

She sighs quietly to herself and heads towards the small window in the hospital room and opens it wide. She stares out and watches the people below mill about. It's a nice, sunny afternoon. Maybe she'll take a walk later. 

For a second she swears she can hear the sound of paper shuffling, but when she turns around Sakura is still sound asleep. She heads over to Sakura just in case, and when she does, she sees that Sakura's thumb is bleeding. 

* * *

Shoto makes his way to school feeling incredibly light. As he sits in the family car driving him to school, he stares out the glass at the blurred buildings. When the car stops at a red light Shoto sees a large, sloppy written message across a Pro-Hero costume design shop that reads out, “Heroes for who?” 

He nods to himself, thinking about this father. Today will be his last time coming to school from his father’s home. Now, he’ll be living at school in the newly built dorms. As terrible of an ordeal Shinsou and Watanabe went through, he feels grateful for them. He doesn't have to be back home for another few months. He feels a little bad that Fuyumi will be home alone with their father, but he knows that she can handle it. Or maybe this will be the push she needs to finally move out. 

When all his stuff is moved into his dorm, he sets out for a walk around the U.A. campus. He finds Midoriya sitting alone by a large tree. He looks like he’s been crying.

Watanabe hasn’t woken up since being rescued, and if Midoriya isn’t spending time in her hospital room, he’s furiously training. Everyone, including his own brother, is worried about him. Shoto finds himself in a strange place between empathy and childish anger. Why does Midoriya get to have the brother Shoto never got? 

He simmers down the feeling of anger and settles down next to Midoriya. He says nothing to him, and the two sit in a somewhat uneasy silence. 

“She’s always helped me,” Midoriya says suddenly. “Even when I didn’t want her to, and the one time she needed my help I couldn’t—” he chokes quietly on his tears, unable to finish. 

Shoto stares at him feeling incredibly uncomfortable. His knee-jerk reaction is to leave Midoriya alone, but he’s not sure if that’s the correct course of action to take. What does Fuyumi do again when her students cry? His frowns, trying to remember. Something with patting and gentle words.

Shoto reaches over and taps Midoriya’s head twice. His hair is soft. Midoriya blinks up at him in confusion.

Shoto continues to tap him. “There, there.” 

Midoriya looks away from him, his shoulder quaking. Perhaps Shoto said the wrong words? Shoto retracts his hand. His frown deepens as he tries to think of Fuyumi’s other methods for helping her students. He nearly reaches for his phone to text her for some advice when he hears Midoriya’s quiet laughter. When Shoto glances back at him, Midoriya is wiping at his eyes and chuckling.

“Are you feeling better?” Shoto asks. 

“Yeah,” Midoriya says, a small smile on his face. “Thanks, Todoroki.” 

Shoto’s mouth goes dry. Unsure of the right words to say in response to that, he nods at him. Silence settles over them again, but this time it feels comfortable. 

* * *

Hitoshi’s first day back to school could have not gone any worse. At lunch, a girl walked into him, hurtling to the floor. When he held a hand out to her, she screamed that she was sorry and begged for him to not hurt her. 

Somehow, Hitoshi went from a victim of a kidnapping by the League of Villains to being suspected as a traitor working for them. Apparently U.A. is only using him as a bargaining chip against the League. It’s the dumbest thing he’s ever heard, but after witnessing that girl literally flee from him, now he doesn't know what to think. 

He’s grateful to have Aizawa in his corner to quell the irrational thoughts he has. Plus his lunch table—OK, his acquaintances, have been really good about confronting the people spreading the stupid rumours. 

“Hey, bro, you good?” Kirishima asks, pulling him out of his thoughts. 

“Yeah, sorry,” he says. “What did you say?” 

“I said, do you remember what Ashido wanted?” 

During their study session that involved very little studying, Hitoshi and Kirishima pulled the short straw among their group, so they were tasked with heading to the small bakery near the campus to get some study snacks.

“I think it was melon bread?” 

“Really? I thought S—” a loud voice cuts him off mid-sentence.

Ahead of them are two guys about their age. One has spiky blonde hair, while the other is covered entirely in long, blonde hairs. The spiky haired guy is yelling loudly at the other guy about something. 

Kirishima stares at them for a long moment, an almost wistful expression on his face. 

“You good?” Hitoshi asks. 

The look is gone, replaced by his usual smile. “Yeah,” Kirishima says, rubbing the back of his head. “That’s, uh, Bakugou, actually.” 

“Oh?” Hitoshi watches the two boys disappear down the road. “The one Sakura beat up?” 

“Yeah,” Kirishima says with a chuckle. “I was thinking it’s kind of a shame we didn’t get a chance to get to know Bakugou. He seems a little scary, but I think he’s a good guy underneath it all.” 

“I see."

“He’s kind of like you, y’know,” Kirishima says, nudging him. “I thought you were a little scary at first, but you’re a really good guy, Shinsou.” 

Hitoshi stares at him before stalking away without another word. He feels the tips of his ears burning. 

“Hey!” Kirishima calls after him. “What, are you embarrassed, man?” 

  
  


* * *

“Is this a criminal organization, or a fucking office building?” Dabi grumbles quietly to himself. He has to show new guy, Birds or whatever the fuck he’s called, around the hideout and keep an eye on him. Why? Because he’s on _probation_ of all things. 

“Sensei’s pissed at you for letting them get away,” Shigaraki had told him with a shrug. “The pink haired one especially.” 

Well at least they think he’s incompetent and not a traitor. There’s that. Plus, now he’s a free man. He owes nothing to no one. 

“You always just smirk like that for no reason?” Peacock asks. He’s looking at Dabi in amusement. “It’s kind of creepy, you know. No offense.” 

Dabi glares at him. “Fuck off.” 

* * *

  
  


Sakura is in a large forest. It feels familiar. She wanders through it, the sun warm against her back. There are trees with brilliant white bark that reach high into the skies. She places a hand against one, feeling smooth wood. 

“Welcome, welcome,” the tree whispers against her palm, and she nearly stumbles as she rips her hand away.

The entire forest is whispering at her, she realizes. 

The small white flowers underneath her purr at her feet, “Welcome, welcome, we’ve been expecting you.” 

The shrubs call out, “Keep going! Straight ahead!” 

_Inner_ , Sakura calls. 

“Yes?” 

_Am I on acid?_

“You’re in the Shikkotsu Forest,” Inner replies. “Listen to the shrubs and keep walking straight ahead.” 

Sakura frowns, but keeps walking until she finds a small clearing where there is a small white log. She sits down on it. Something tells her she should wait. After a moment she realizes it's the log telling her to _please wait one moment, dear_. She shifts into a lotus position and quietly meditates as she waits. 

There’s the sound of leaves rustling behind her and when she opens her eyes there’s a shadow looming over her. She glances up and sees a massive slug staring down at her. 

For fifteen years now, Sakura feels like she’s been chasing ghosts. Catching glimpses of people she once knew, and trying to find them again in the people she’s met. The first ghost she chased was one of her best friends, the loud blond knuckle head she sometimes sees in Izuku. She feels guilty about it because she feels like she’s trying to follow an old connection, rather than create a new one. The second ghost she chased was Katsuyu, who isn’t a ghost at all now. 

With some anger, she realizes that all along Inner’s been right. Sometimes it’s best to leave things be, to not be too caught up in the past. Because now with her past staring down at her, she feels unprepared at the wave of joy, happiness, pain and loneliness that crashes down at her at once. She’s missed Katsuyu and her old life so, so much. But she knows, deep down, that this is all she'll evver get from that life. She won’t be able to meet anyone else from her past like this ever again. She’ll only just find the remnants of them in the new people she meets. 

“Welcome home, little one,” Katsuyu says. 

“Katsuyu—” 

Katsuyu opens her mouth and spits directly at Sakura’s face. Sakura lifts her arm and blocks it. She doubles over in pain as the slime burns her arm. It eats through her skin and muscle, revealing bone. 

“We don’t have a lot of time, little one,” Katsuyu says. “I need you to prove to me that you’re worthy enough to become the next Slugs Summoner.” 

Sakura stares up at Katsuyu. “Will I die?” 

“Only if you fail,” Katsuyu says, spitting acid once again at her. Sakura narrowly avoids it, ducking in time for it to pass over her head. 

She flash steps deeper into the forest, leaping from tree branch to tree branch in an attempt to get far away from Katsuyu to give her time to figure out what to do next. Slug Summoner? Why does that sound familiar? Does she need to fight Katsuyu to become one? How the hell could she take down a slug the size of a skyscraper that spits out flesh burning acid? 

“Think, Sakura,” Inner tells her. “You’ve played mushi-ken before.” 

_Seriously, Inner?_ Sakura thinks angrily. Katsuyu appears behind her, spitting out more acid at her. She leaps forward, and the acid burns right through the thick branch she was just on. _Now isn’t the time for children’s games!_

Wait. 

Acid splashes against her ankle and she nearly tumbles to the ground from the blistering pain. She recovers her footing and manages to speed up, but somehow Katsuyu maintains a close distance behind her. How the slug moves quickly despite her large size is a mystery Sakura will deal with later. 

_Slug beats the snake, by dissolving it with its mucus,_ she remembers suddenly.

But what beats the slug? 

_The toad,_ she thinks, as a tree shoots up in front of her. She jumps atop its branches going higher, and higher until she reaches the top of the tree. She looms over Katsuyu, who watches her, eye stalks shifting in left, then right. _The toad snags the slug with their tongue._

The lower branches of the tree snake around Katsuyu, trapping her. Kasuyu struggles against the branches, but even more branches shoot out of the tree binding even tighter against her. 

“I yield,” Katsuyu says finally. The branches fall to the ground. “We of the Shikkotsu Forest are the bridge between earth and water, between the physical and spirit worlds. It is both a gift and a curse. If you are to become the new Slug Summoner, you will enter into many cycles of life, death, and rebirth until you find a successor.” 

“Will I remember?” Sakura asks. “Every lifetime?”

“In order to understand our present and ensure our future, we must know our past,” Katsuyu says. “Will you still accept?” 

Deep in the Shikkotsu Forest, Sakura decides that she will no longer chase the ghosts of her previous lifetime.

Elsewhere, in a small town just outside of Mustafu, the eldest member of the Mora family, a woman affectionately known as the family witch, takes her last breath. 

  
  


When Sakura wakes up, there’s a small slug sitting on her chest. 

“Mornin’ Little Boss,” the slug whispers cheerly, its eye stalks waving. “Big Boss asked me to fix ya up real good, which I did. Ya might feel a little sore, though. Can't fix everything, ya know? Anyway, I’ll see ya later!”

Sakura wants to ask the small slug for its name, and more importantly, why it speaks in a Kansai dialect, but it disappears in a puff of smoke. 

Sakura looks around and sees her mother and Aoi seated to her left, both fast asleep. Aoi sleeps with her head against her mother’s shoulder. She’s drooling all over her mother’s shirt. 

On her right is Izuku, also asleep, slumping forward in his chair. Next to him is Koji, who has a floating bright pink sweater leaning against him. Tooru. Fumikage sits on the window, somehow asleep while seated upright. 

She sits up very gingerly in her bed, expecting pain, but only feels a bit of soreness. 

“Huh,” she murmurs, staring at her unbroken arm. “The little slug did a great job.” 

Izuku stirs awake at the sound of her voice. He stares at her for a moment, sleep still visible in his eyes, and then he gasps loudly and launches himself at her. 

“Sacchan!” he slams into her, and Sakura half expects her ribs to break again under the sudden impact. Sakura wriggles her hands free from his vice grip to return the hug. 

“I thought you’d never wake up,” Izuku whispers, voice thick with tears. She feels her growing wet spot on her shoulder. 

“Hey,” she says, rubbing small circles over his back. “I’m OK. I’m OK.” 

Another pair of arms wind around them. “You’re finally awake!” 

“Hey, Tooru,” Sakura says. 

Koji hovers over them, torn between wanting to pile on her, but also being mindful of her injuries. Fumikage stands next to him with arms crossed and rolls his eyes at the scene. 

“It’s fine, c’mere, guys,” she says, but Koji just settles on just ruffling her hair while Fumikage keeps rolling his eyes. 

Something pokes her forehead. She turns to see Aoi’s face wet with tears. “You had us so worried!” 

“Oi!" Sakura cries. "I’m recovering here.” 

“Recovering my ass,” Aoi shoots back, and she pokes her again, this time with enough force to push her head back. “Anyway, we should probably go get Shuzenji. C’mon, kids.”

Aoi pulls Izuku and Tooru off of her. 

“Wait,” Sakura says, reaching for Izuku’s hand. “Is Hitoshi OK?” 

Fumikage looks over at Tooru. The sleeves of Tooru’s sweater flap in a way that suggests an intense gossip session is to be had later. 

Izuku squeezes her hand. “He’s fine."

“Right, right,” Aoi says, ushering Izuku, Tooru, Koji and Fumikage out the door. “We’ll do all the catching up _after_ Shuuzenji takes a look at Sakura. C’mon, kids.” 

“How are you feeling?” Sakura turns to see her mother reaching down and wrapping her arms around her.

“I’m OK,” Sakura says, voice wobbly. Her hands are shaking as she returns the hug. 

“I thought I lost you, too,” her mother whispers against her hair. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was very much inspired by the phenomenal [shikkotsu no sakura](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13439829) by theformerone. i literally cannot stress enough that you go read that gem. 


End file.
